The Ivory Deity
by Kimsa Ki-Lurria
Summary: Ishihime, ByaOC. Ishida thought his only major problem was the war with Aizen. If only fate would be so kind. Enter Yume Yamazaki, a strange, mysterious girl with a dangerous ability: she can mimic every and any shinigami's power on a whim...AU.
1. One: Her Silent Monster

Okay I got this idea from Kita Kudai, don't kill me Kita for using it:

Byaku-bo, say my disclaimer for me!

Byakuya: Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach...meh.

Rated T for mild language and a good chunk of violence. Otherwise, it wouldn't be Bleach-worthy.

Spoilers: A couple...just a couple.

* * *

One

Her Silent Monster

_Her footsteps rang in her ears, flitting through her consciousness as yet another sound to remind her of what she was running away from. She ran and ran, not exactly knowing what from but that it chased her quicker than thought. The girl's silky black hair whipped about her head as she tore down the deserted street, her breath hot and frantic in the cold night air. Her eyes were wide, her turquoise-colored pupils tiny in a sea of white. The sound of the creature behind her got closer, huge, thudding footfalls that shook her to her very core. It could be completely silent when it wanted to be. It only let itself be heard to terrify her._

_It was not safe here. She had to get away._

_Why couldn't anyone else see the creature? Why was she the only one? Everyone thought she was crazy here…no one believed her when she told them of the giant, hulking thing that followed her everywhere she went, not even the police. Or maybe, especially not the police. She'd tried to make an effort of avoiding them years ago._

_It drew closer. The girl could feel its presence behind her, making the hair on the back of her neck rise with fear and her skin erupt with goose bumps. When had it started to follow her everywhere she went? This was the second time it had shown itself blatantly to her, a misshapen monster towering thirty feet above her, its face a hideous, sharp-angled mask with strange markings in black and blood-red. Its four arms were long and bony, its legs just as lengthy as its upper limbs. Long talons reached hungrily for her from skeletal fingers, and the creature would always let out a hideous screech like nails scraping down a chalkboard before it attacked._

_The girl tore around the corner of the street, seeing the lights of a well-populated neighborhood over the hill it passed. She hurried for it, sensing that the creature was closing in. It stepped behind her, so close that its footfalls sent tremors through her entire body. She was not going to make it_

_Her head turned as her movements slowed, her legs feeling as if they were trying to run through molasses syrup. The girl's eyes grew even wider, so wide tears came to her eyes, as she saw the…thing…towering over her. A slit in its mask peeled open to reveal huge, straight tombstone-like teeth as it smiled a chilling smirk of triumph._

"_Insect," it wheezed, its very voice a wailing scream of tortured pain. _

_Her legs were still moving. Maybe she could get away. Maybe the creature would not follow her into the city, where there were too many people around to move freely…it'd always attacked her in remote areas._

_Talons tore through her skin, and brilliant red blood spurted into the air in front of her unbelieving eyes._

_And for the second time that night, the girl's sharp scream split the night air._

_Four months later, Karakura Town_

The winter night's temperature was uncomfortably cold, raising small goosebumps on Ishida Uryu's skin as he arrived at the door to his apartment. He frowned in displeasure at the freezing weather and opened his apartment's door, stepping quietly inside and shifting a bag of groceries in his clammy hand as he did so. His home was a small one for him to live in, but he made a tidy living anyway, and it suited him well as he was the only one occupying it. The boy set his groceries down on his table and walked over to his desk, rubbing his scalp beneath his raven-black hair. He pressed a button on his phone, and his answering machine popped up.

_1 new message, _the screen read. Wondering who it could be from, Uryu pressed the button reading "play."

"Um, hi, Ishida-kun!" a girl's bright voice said cheerfully. "I was just calling to say hi and remind you that tomorrow is the first day of school back from the winter break. Yay! I know you probably know that already, but I just wanted to remind you…and…um…anyway, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow in school! It's our first day back in a long time, and we're going to see all of our friends! Yeah! I can't wait to see you, Ishida-kun! So, umm…Bye-bye!"

Uryu felt a gentle smile cross his otherwise serious face. "Inoue-san…" he murmured fondly. Although the winter war was dangerously close, their group had been acting as if nothing was wrong. Maybe it was just their way of thinking that Soul Society could take care of itself, just their way of denying that they were all tired and needed a long break from the fighting involving Hollows. Uryu knew Soul Society would call Ichigo and Rukia back to fight in the war, and when it did, Orihime would follow. And if Orihime followed, Uryu would follow.

It would be hard; he'd been avoiding his friends ever since they got back from rescuing Orihime in Hueco Mundo, his broken promise to his father riding on his conscious every time he saw them. He knew he'd already gotten a reluctant and disapproving admittance from his father that since he had shinigami for friends, he could not stay away from them as he had promised, but Uryu was prone to obliging the forces of habit. This particular habit, it appeared, was paying attention to his guilt-ridden conscious and trying to run from it.

Uryu's smile melted away as he remembered the day he had faced his father, recalling the way he had felt cold and shaky on the inside, but had remained steadfast and strong on the outside…

"_What are you doing here?" Ryuuken asked coldly, refusing to look up from his newspaper. Uryu's mouth became a straight, narrow line as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and faced his father._

"_I cannot fulfill my promise to you, Ryuuken," he said quietly. "I think I made that quite clear in my letter to you before I left for Hueco Mundo, but I just wanted to make sure you understood."_

_Ryuuken looked at him over the edge of his newspaper. "I knew you were weak," he said, "but I did not know you were _this _weak."_

_Uryu frowned. "They are my friends, Ryuuken. I could not just sit by and let them be hurt—"_

"_Two of them are _shinigami _and the others are not even as good as that. Why trouble yourself over them? You swore, Uryu. You swore to me."  
Uryu's eyes fell to the ground. "I apologize," he said sincerely. "I never should have made that promise." He raised his gaze to his father's, suddenly becoming determined. "But I must break it, no matter how you react nor how much you call me a worthless coward."_

_Ryuuken's hard face did not change, but his eyes narrowed slightly. "…I see," he said after a long, drawn-out pause. "So you've made your choice?"_

_Uryu nodded._

_Ryuuken heaved a detached sigh, and his eyes flicked to his newspaper again. "No son of mine breaks a vow to his father for a pack of _shinigami _and still remains my son. I will have nothing further to do with you."_

_Uryu said nothing more, understanding that these were his father's final words to him. If he were to see him again, it would not be as his son. Ryuuken had always seemed to be disappointed in him, and this last mistake had cost him their relationship._

"_I understand," the young Quincy said quietly, and let himself out._

Uryu sighed and brushed the memory away. It was those kinds of memories he could do without. The boy fixed the position of his glasses on his nose and returned to his groceries. Tomorrow was an important day, the day he would finally force himself to see his friends again, and he had to get up early. If he wanted to be awake for the first day back to school from Hueco Mundo, he had to eat quickly and get plenty of rest.

* * *

The school yard was littered with dozens of students milling about, reacquainting themselves and getting settled down with their friends. The beginning of school was not far away, and some of the students were already inside their present classes, trying to settle in and get the feel of the place after being home for two weeks. 

Kurosaki Ichigo sat at his desk, absently flicking at a chip in the small table's surface with an irritated scowl on his face. Most would have thought that he was annoyed at something, but this was Ichigo's normal attitude. The bright-haired boy looked up as he heard light footsteps skip over to his table, and he smiled awkwardly as a slender girl walked up to him, tucking a lock of red-orange hair behind her ear.

"Hello, Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue Orihime said in her airy voice.

"Hey, Inoue-san," Ichigo greeted her, and Orihime smiled. "I haven't seen you lately except for the business with the Hollows," she said. "How have you been?"

"Not bad," the boy replied. "My dad's been a real pain, though. You wouldn't _believe _what he can get me into…"

"ICHIGO!" he heard someone call his name, and looked up to see his friend Keigo speeding through the door towards his desk. His hand flew up and smacked itself into the hyper-active boy's face, holding him there as his arms wind-milled in a blur.

"Keigo, when are you going to stop running around like that?" he asked in irritation. "I just barely managed to keep you from barreling into me."

"I never learn, you should know that!" Keigo replied, and backed away from Ichigo's hand, a red hand mark covering his face. He turned to Orihime. "Hey, Inoue-san, is my face okay?"

Orihime smiled weakly as her eyes glued themselves to the brilliantly shaded hand-mark on his face. "U-uh…"  
Ichigo opened his mouth rudely, his gaze flat. "Yeah, it must be fine because it looks like a pig's —"

A small hand placed itself on the back of his head and forced his face hard into the wood of his desk, muffling his last word. Ichigo snapped his head back up and spun around, his hand going to his throbbing nose. "Hey, what the hell was that —?!"

The petite girl in front of him smiled, flexing her diminutive hand with a wicked intent. "_You're _one to call Keigo a pig, Ichigo," she said.

Ichigo stared at her. "Rukia…!" he growled.

Kuchiki Rukia smirked at him and lifted her head. "What, no hello? Didn't you like mine?"

Ichigo bristled, his spiky-orange hair rising to the point of looking like he'd been struck by lightning. Orihime watched it rise in alarm and exclaimed a small, "Oh!"

Firm footsteps announced Chad's arrival, and the group turned to face the tall, dark-skinned boy.

"Hello, Sado-kun!" Orihime said brightly. "It's good to see you!"

"Hello, Inoue-san," Chad said in his deep, quiet voice.

"Hey, how'd you get off yesterday? You took a hard blow from that Hollow…" Ichigo said, referring to a fight they'd had the day before with a Hollow. It had not been hard to defeat, but Chad had taken a heavy hit to his shield-arm and had looked to be in need of medical assistance.

"I'm fine. Inoue-san healed me," Chad said bluntly. Though never one to say anything in a rude manner, he was a boy of few words and always spoke to the point. "Thank you, Inoue-san. Your healing came in handy on the day before school started."

Orihime raised her hand and saluted him sharply. "Yes sir, I'm always here to help my friends!" she said, her voice rising to the point of bordering on childish. "You can always count on me, Sado-kun."

Ichigo looked up, and a friendly smile disrupted his otherwise "whatever" attitude as a boy appeared in the doorway. "Hey, Ishida," he said as his friend stepped into the room. "Welcome back."

Uryu was a thin, slender boy of seventeen with skin the color of creamy milk and eyes the shade of a deep ocean. His bangs hung in front of his narrow face, as deep a blue-black as the rest of his hair. He frowned at Ichigo and pushed his rectangular glasses up his nose, eyeing up the other youth's spiky orange hair with distaste. "Hello, Kurosaki," he said in a cool voice that verged on the point of being cold. "I see your hair is still as…reviving…as ever."

Ichigo scowled. "And I see you're still as much of a cold-faced priss as usual," he replied snappily. "Way to greet a friend after _avoiding _us for so long."

Uryu sniffed without comment.

"Now, now," Rukia said, sensing that the two boys were already starting an argument. "It's the first day of school for us in a long time. Lighten up a little; you haven't seen each other for a while."

Never one to — at least not blatantly — start an argument with a girl, Uryu stood by and remained silent as Ichigo pointed at him and protested to the raven-haired Rukia. "It's his fault!" he objected. "All I said was 'hey!' Besides, he is a priss."

Uryu tried to ignore the comment as well, but he had to acknowledge in the back of his mind that Ichigo bordered on telling the truth. He always kept his shirt neatly pressed and tucked in, and where others would not wear the standard ties of the school uniform he always did. His pants were always straight and unwrinkled, and his shoes were always of high, boring quality and shined with careful precision. His shy and solitary attitude did nothing to cheer him up either; Uryu had always been the quiet class genius in the back of the room that hung out with the popular and well-known Ichigo but never anyone else.

Uryu felt his pale skin easily flush a bright red and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose again. The motion always seemed to calm him down.

"And you're a jerk but you never hear me saying anything!" Rukia was shouting at Ichigo as Uryu contemplated these thoughts. She walked right up to the bright-haired youth and slammed her hands down Ichigo's desk, standing and yelling at him. "Why do you always have to be such a punk?"

"Who's a punk, miss beat-you-till-blind?!" Ichigo yelled back, rising as well and glaring Rukia straight in the eye as the two went off on another of their famous yelling matches. Their classmates had experienced all too many of these, and those who knew the two well and were unfortunate enough to be around them for a long time had experienced even more.

"Oh, not again," one of their classmates muttered to himself.

"They're impossible to be in the same classroom with," another agreed, this time a girl.

A stocky man in a cold gray shirt and pants ushered in the last straggling students just as the bell rang, and walked over to stand in front of the room. "Alright, break it up, break it up," he said as he spotted Rukia and Ichigo having a shouting match. The two students immediately stopped and stared at him, wondering who he was.

"I've heard about you two," the substitute said. "Kuchiki and Kurosaki, isn't it? Yes, yes, take a seat. If everyone will be seated, I will introduce myself. My name is Mr. Morioka, and I am going to be your substitute for today as your teacher, Ms. Ochi, caught a slight cold. She did not really have a lesson plan for today...ah...she merely said, 'They'll find something idiotic to occupy their time,' so I consulted the other teachers in this school and got a probable lesson plan for you today."

He was a stout man, tall but heavily built, and had short cropped hair that did nothing to relax the fact that he looked like a military officer. He did not look Japanese with his strong chin and green eyes, but his last name was and so no one questioned it.

The teacher picked up a clipboard and ran his eyes down the list of students in his class. "I am going to take attendance now," he said. "First off the list, Keigo Asano?"

"Here, Sensei!" the overzealous Keigo called out, waving his arm high in the air for his teacher to see.

"Yes, very good. Inoue Orihime?"

"Ah, here!" answered Orihime in her innocent, girlish voice, raising her hand.

Mr. Morioka ran down the list until he reached the very bottom. "Well it seems we have a student transfering into this class today. An odd time to start, but...is Yamazaki Yume present?"

No one answered, and the classmates looked around the room to see who was a stranger in their class. Uryu scanned the seats, only to find that everyone here had always been there. Only one seat in the entire classroom remained vacant, blatantly stating that Yume Yamazaki was obviously not present.

"Yamazaki Yume!" Mr. Morioka called out again. "Is Yamazaki Yume present? No? Hmm."

Mr. Morioka raised his pencil and made a quick mark on the attendance list. "Absent," he said with finality. "And on her first day, too. Well, as almost everyone is here and I do not think anyone else is coming, why don't we just assume no one else is absent and get started? There is not much work to do since the lesson plan is rather slap-dash, but we will start off our day by talking about what we are going to do today. First we will go over the rules. There is no gum-chewing, no spitting, and no eating in this classroom…"

Uryu sat up straight while he listened to his teacher go on about his personal rules, keeping a straight face but letting boredom enter his eyes. His gaze shifted to Ichigo, and to his irritation he found the boy slouching over his desk and staring at the substitute with vacant eyes. Uryu was surprised that he did not see drool leaking out of the corners of his mouth…oh no, wait, that was Keigo.

Loud footsteps sounded outside the classroom, running at a fast and heavy pace. The sound was oddly accompanied by the sound of jangling, small bells. Uryu instantly became alert, as did Ichigo and the rest of their group; they had been through too many surprises together not to be on guard at all times. Mr. Morioka stopped talking and hesitated, his words dwindling into silence as the footsteps reached the class's open door. A girl stood panting in the doorway, her long black hair falling far past her shoulders and her lengthy bangs pulled up and back by a bright blue barrette. A streak of turquoise-blue hair ran from her hair above her left eyebrow all the way to the end, disrupting the shiny black color of her hair and standing out and drawing attention to itself. Her large, delicately-shaped eyes were the same color as the turquoise streak in her hair, and they seemed to shine brightly with a bright cheerfulness despite the fact that she looked as if she had run a marathon. The girl's uniform was in disarray; her shirt was un-tucked and her bow was lopsided, and one of her shoes was unbuckled. However, none of these things were what caught Uryu's attention the most; hanging about her neck from a long, black satin string were three small bells, explaining the ringing sounds he'd heard as she ran, each of them with a letter engraved on them: Z, Y, and S.

"And you are?" Mr. Morioka asked, sounding a bit peeved by the sudden interruption.

"Yamazaki Yume, sir," the girl answered confidently. Her expression faltered, and she looked around the classroom. "Am I in the right class?" she asked.

* * *

A/N: Okay, that was the first chapter finally up! Yay! No flaming please...constructive comments would be nice, this is my first fanfic. If I don't get a couple reviews, then I'll know this isn't worth continuing. And I know this chapter was a little lengthy, they all will be...if I continue and you are kind enough to review!! 


	2. Two: Welcoming in the Shadows

Okay, I'm an impatient-type person, I felt like I'd give you at least two chapters to read before asking for reviews. The first couple of chapters may be boring, but don't worry, the suspense will pick up very soon.

Now, let's see...who to pick on, who to pick on? Oh, I know! Ishida-kun! If you say my disclaimer nicely, I'll give you a free cape! Long and swishy...and flamboyant as ever!

Ishida:...Fine. But it's not for the cape! Er, Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach. -under breath- Thank God...

Me: I heard that!!

* * *

Two

Welcoming in the Shadows

**"Am I in the right class?" she asked.**

"I expect so," Mr. Morioka replied. "I've already marked you absent."

"Arrghh!" Yume shouted. Mr. Morioka jumped slightly, his eyebrows raised in surprise, his expression much like that of the other startled occupants of the room. Uryu stared with a wrinkled brow at the new girl, wondering what kind of a person she was going to turn out to be if the ninth thing she'd said was "Arrghh."

If Yume noticed everyone staring at her, it only made her grin. "Absent on my first day! Sorry, Sensei-dude, but my family just arrived in this city twenty minutes ago, and we barely made it here just now. Don't mind my interruption and just forget I was ever late, eh? What do you say?"

Mr. Morioka's expression softened slightly. "Well, alright, but next time you show up this late I doubt you will be excused. I'll make an exception since you just got here, and since I am a substitute. Now, if you will take your seat I will be able to finish what I was saying before you barged in."

"Yes, Sensei!" Yume said, and spotted her empty chair. She sat down and did her best to fix her uniform, straightening her bow and buckling her shoe. Mr. Morioka resumed talking, and the attention moved from the strange girl to the teacher.

Yume's chair was between Rukia's and Orihime's, and she smiled brightly as she looked over to the former. "Hey, my name's Yume," she said quietly under the noise of Mr. Morioka's talking.

"I'm Rukia," Rukia replied. "And that is my friend Orihime."

Orihime smiled shyly. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said pleasantly.

Yume grinned openly at the honey-haired girl.

Uryu gave Yume an emotionless glance before returning his attention to the teacher. Just by noticing how outgoing the girl was being made it seem that they might have another person in their group of friends, though he knew they would not be able to let her in their closest circle. What with the recent attacks from the Hollows and the Arrancar, let alone the approaching war, there was no telling what other kind of trouble would still linger about. If Yume stayed near their group, she was bound to get hurt, especially since Uryu could not feel any spiritual power in her. She just seemed like a regular human to him.

The time passed quickly, and before he knew it the bell rang for lunch. Uryu headed out to his group's usual hangout place and sat down, eating his lunch slowly. He usually sat off by himself to read a book, but today was the first day back from a long time away from his friends, and he needed their company more than he realized. The Quincy suspected that Orihime and Rukia did as well, as they had joined Ichigo and Chad instead of going off towards the other girls in their class as they'd done last year.

Rukia and Ichigo began to argue loudly again, and Orihime started to fret over it as usual. Soft footsteps on the springy grass caught everyone's attention, and the group saw Yume walking towards their group.

"What's up, new buddies?" she said brightly. "Mind if I join you?"

"Uh…" said Ichigo, staring up at the dark-haired girl. He hadn't spoken a word to her yet, nor had Chad or Uryu, so he could not see how they could really be friends yet. Still, there wasn't really any harm in being nice to the new girl, right?

"Sure," Rukia said in his stead, and gave Yume a friendly smile. "I don't think you've met the rest of our group. This is Ichigo," she said, motioning to the spiky-haired youth. "Chad, and Ishida."

Yume smiled brightly at the two boys. "Hey, other new buddies."

"Er, hello," Uryu answered awkwardly while Chad simply nodded.

"Soooo, your name's Ichigo, huh?" Yume asked the bright-haired youth as she plopped down in the grass next to Rukia. "You know that means strawberry, right?"

Uryu thought he saw a vein jump in Ichigo's temple.

"Yeah…"

"Oh." Yume grinned at him. "Do you like strawberries? I think they taste weird; too sour and sweet at the same time. Why'd your parents call you strawberry? You don't look like a strawberry to me."

"My dad's an idiot," Ichigo muttered. "And my mom put up with him, so there."

"Oh… Why's your hair so freakishly orange?"

Ichigo, who at that moment had been drinking from a bottle of water, suddenly sprayed it at Rukia in a forceful geyser. Rukia screamed and hit him as she yelled, "Ichigo! Gross!"

Yume laughed mirthfully. "Sorry, I guess I was being a little too rude there! I mean, I barely met you and people sometimes say I have a big mouth to say such things to near-complete strangers."

"That's…alright," Ichigo said before he took another swallow of water to keep from choking again. "My hair just comes like this. And who're you to tell me my hair is freakish?" he demanded, referring to the brilliant turquoise-streak in her jet-black hair.

Yume looked startled for a moment, and Rukia hit Ichigo again on his arm. "Ichigo, don't be rude!" she hissed.

"It's not a problem!" Yume said brightly, startling Rukia into silence. "He said it was alright when I was rude to him, and besides, I don't like to get offended by what people think or say. My hair comes like this, too. The people at my birth said that from the moment I was born, I had this weird streak of blue in my hair. Besides, I like it; it matches my eyes and stands out, and I like to stand out!"

"Yeah, I can see that," Ichigo muttered. Rukia gave him a dark, threatening look, making the teenager automatically flinch in anticipation of the approaching pain about to be inflicted upon him. Yume turned to Orihime, who had been silent this whole time, and said, "So, Inoue-san, what kinds of things do you like to do?"

Orihime started in surprise. "Oh, me? Well…I like to cook…"

_Oh, here we go on _that _topic again, _Uryu thought as he frowned down at his lunch. He put it away; he didn't think he'd feel much like eating it after this conversation was over.

Lunch time passed steadily, with Uryu and Chad remaining silent as usual, Ichigo and Rukia bickering, and now with the added Yume and Orihime talking up a storm about their similarities. It seemed they both had more in common than they thought; they absolutely _loved _to cook, and from listening to snatches of their conversation Uryu discovered that Yume's, like Orihime's, meals were oftentimes…eccentric. Yume detested sowing, and quite unlike Orihime found it to be incredibly boring and a waste of time. However, that was the main difference in their personalities; both could be bubbly and practically brainless at times, they preferred to be optimistic, and they both had the same favorite thing: their friends. With the exception of cooking, of course.

Rukia's cell phone suddenly began to beep, the small sound somehow managing to cut through and halt all conversations. Her eyes widened as she put down her lunch, taking out the beeping phone to stare at its screen.

"Uh…I just remembered something I've got to do," she said, rising to her feet abruptly. "C'mon, Ichigo."

Ichigo got the hint and got to his feet as well, and the two ran off without another word, assuming that their group would come up with a suitable explanation for Yume. The new girl blinked in mild surprise and smiled inquiringly at the remaining group. "Do they do that often?" she asked.

"Yes," Orihime replied. "It's because they…uh…because they have bad memories!"

Uryu and Chad stared incredulously at their friend, hardly believing she had just said such a ridiculous excuse for Ichigo and Rukia's absences. Yume looked skeptical as well, but she let it slide. "Oh, okay," she said, dismissing the topic without another word. "So, Inoue-chan, what was it that you were saying?"

"Oh, I was just thinking maybe we could all come over to my apartment for a welcoming-in party!" Orihime replied. "You know, just something to get you settled in. Is tonight a good night, or is it too soon, or are you doing anything?"

"Nah, I'm not doing anything. And it's not too soon; the sooner the better, right?" Yume's gaze instantly went hooded, and a crooked grin settled over her face. "Will we get to cook?"

Orihime looked a little fearful of the smile Yume was giving her, but she nodded with enthusiasm. "We'll bake a cake and try out lots of new recipes!" she said. "Oh, but who should we invite? It's such short notice…what about just our group? You're pretty much settled in already, but that's no excuse to cancel out a good party." The honey-haired girl turned to the boys sitting near them. "Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, how would you like to come to my house tonight for a welcoming-in party? Yume and I will be _cooking_!"

* * *

"HYYYY-AAH!" Zangetsu's huge blade split the second Hollow right down its middle, and it fell to the pavement with a sickly thud before drifting away into nothingness. Rukia clapped sarcastically from a short distance away, giving the samurai-clothed Ichigo a disapproving frown. 

"Couldn't you have done that a bit quieter?" she asked. "I bet Urahara heard that yell all the way from his house."

Ichigo sheathed his zanpakutou and scratched a hand through his thick, spiky hair. "It doesn't matter; no one without any reiatsu can hear me in Soul Reaper form anyway. Besides, that Hollow was getting on my nerves."

They were a short distance from the school, called there because of two Hollows rampaging across the town in search of souls to feed on. The monsters had been dispatched quickly once Ichigo switched into Soul Reaper form, but even so the second one had dodged his attacks enough times to get him angry.

"Three Hollows in two days," Rukia said, putting her cell phone in her pocket. "I'd say the numbers are picking up."

"Well, duh. What, did you think their numbers would dwindle with the war so close?" Without waiting for an answer and ignoring Rukia's ticked-off expression, Ichigo groaned in annoyance. "Why is it always during the school year?"  
Rukia shrugged. "Probably just our luck. Anyway, we should be getting back. The bell's about to ring."

"Yeah, you're right," Ichigo said, and walked over to enter his body, taking on the appearance of a normal human. The two walked back down the street, both in a hurry but not exactly running.

"So, what do you think of Yamazaki-san?" Ichigo asked. "I'm not good at sensing reiatsu, but I think she's pretty normal."

"She's _totally _normal," Rukia replied. "Yamazaki-san doesn't have a whiff of spirit energy about her."

"Well, I guess we'll have to keep the Hollows and Soul Society a secret from her, then," Ichigo said. "Man, it's going to be a pain, running off and having her asking questions about it all the time! Why'd you have to invite her in our group?"

"Because _I _am a selfless and kind being, unlike _someone _I know," Rukia drawled, emphasizing the "I" and "someone." "Besides, she's new here and she doesn't have any friends. I remember what it was like when I first came here, and Inoue-chan invited me into her group of friends, so it's the least we can do for her."

"Selfless and kind being, my —" Ichigo said sarcastically, only to find Rukia's leg swinging under his own and his face in the ground shortly after.

"Hey!" he called out as Rukia laughed mockingly and ran off down the street. He jumped to his feet and ran after her. "Come back here, Rukia!!"  
On the flat roof of the building overlooking where they had just been, the Hollow leaned over the side to glare after the pair. Its sharp mouth opened to reveal square teeth, and its slanted eyes narrowed as it wheezed a breath.

"Ya…maza…kiii…"

* * *

A/N: Hahaha...Ichigo did a faceplant. And yes, I know there wasn't much Ishida action in this chapter...don't worry, I'll make up for it in the next chapter. Oh, will I make up for it...heheheh. I'll just give a hint: awkward situations involving Ishida, Orihime, and cake. Nope, that's it! You'll have to review for more! 


	3. Three: Cake and Kisses

To those of you who think this is an Uryu x OC fanfic, this chapter should clear up annnyyything that you were wondering. I hope. Unless you're remarkably dense. Hmm...I'm still considering whether I should add a little Ichigo x Rukia in this fanfic. Their pairing is so much fun to mess around with, so _maybe_ I will! Oh and thank you sooooo much those of you who review. It really means a lot and lets me know that people actually _read_ my fanfic. Thank you thank you thank you...

This new chapter is a present for Thanksgiving! Happy Turkey Day, yay! May you all think of Orihime and Yume's conconctions while you are stuffing your face full of turkey and pie and...stuff. (P.S. This is totally disregarding the whole time-difference thing. It's Turkey Day over here where I live, that's all I care about)

Onto the disclaimer! Boogie man-kun's turn!

Kurotsuchi: ...

Me: come on now, don't be shy.

Kurotsuchi: I'm not shy! It's just that this is degrading and only someone like you would make me do it...fine, I'll do it if it will get you away from me. Worthless human Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach, only her OC character.

Me: ...You know you're gonna pay for that when you pop up later on in the story.

Kurotsuchi: ...

* * *

Three

Cake and Kisses

The bell rang to announce the end of the school day, and Uryu silently rose to pack up his things as everyone began to file out.

"Hey, see you later, Ishida," Ichigo said as he and Rukia exited the room.

"Tomorrow, Kurosaki," Uryu replied shortly. Chad left soon after them, and as Uryu wandered towards the door he heard someone call his name.

"Ishida-kun?" he heard an airy voice say, and looked back to see Orihime and Yume coming after him. "Are you still coming to Yamazaki-san's party?" Orihime asked.

Oh, yes, that was right. Chad had been able to escape Orihime's offer with a vague "I have things to do," as had Ichigo and Rukia. They had all been scared off by the thought of two madly…creative…girls cooking whatever they pleased for their dinner. The fact that the number of Hollows had been picking up recently was another reason for them to keep alert, making it so there was no time for parties. Uryu had wanted to decline as well, but one look at Orihime's crestfallen face and Yume's puppy-faced expression had changed his mind, and he'd reluctantly agreed.

"Yes, Inoue-san," he replied quietly, "I'm still coming."

Orihime brightened when she heard his reply, and Yume grinned at him likewise. "Hey, great, Ishida-san," she said. "I haven't known you for very long so this will be a chance for us to get acquainted, won't it?"

"Um…yes, Yamazaki-san," Uryu replied.

"Okay, we're all ready, then," Orihime said as she shifted her bag on her shoulder and pumped her hand into the air. "Off to my house!"

* * *

"Wooowww," Yume gasped as she entered Orihime's apartment, turning in slow circles with her mouth in a big "o." Uryu stared at her; he couldn't help it. Orihime's apartment was anything other than something to "wow" at, being only a small place to live, tidied up but still furnished with few articles of furniture. 

Orihime was smiling shyly as she waited for Uryu to enter her house, and as he stepped through he realized that this was the first time he'd ever been inside her home. The thought seemed strange and alien to him, making him feel as if he was trespassing on forbidden ground. The house was definitely feminine, as he could expect nothing else from Orihime, and was comfortably warm and inviting despite its simplicity. The colors in the house were definitely Orihime's as well, ranging from a warm yellow-orange to the soft pink her cheeks turned when she blushed.

Uryu walked the rest of the way in to join the still-gawking Yume in the middle of the living room as Orihime closed the door and locked it softly.

"Umm, Ishida-kun, Yamazaki-san, you can sit right at that table there and I'll bring out the drinks," she said, "and then Yamazaki-chan and I will begin cooking dinner and baking dessert."

"Yeah!" Yume cheered enthusiastically. "Want to watch us, Ishida-san? Maybe we can teach you a thing or two about cooking."

Uryu's face turned an unhealthy shade of gray. Somehow, he doubted that whatever he was going to learn about the two girls' taste in food was going to be educational in a good way. He nearly had to force his reply out of his mouth.

"Okay..."

"Yay!" Orihime exclaimed, while Yume gave Uryu a cheesy grin. "Hey, Inoue-chan," she said to the honey-haired girl, "do you have a radio in here? I always like to cook to music...it gets me in the mood."

"Hmm." Orihime wrinkled her brow and put a finger to her lips. "I've never tried it before, but trying new things is always such a fun experience, so why not? The radio's on the table next to the couch."

Yume immediately scampered over to it and turned it up to near-full blast on a station with some of the more exciting songs that one could find. Definitely not Uryu's choice, but hey...Orihime seemed pleased with Yume's choice. The orange-haired girl took this chance to retrieve the drinks, leaving Uryu in an awkwardly alone situation with Yume. Yume grinned at him and giggled loudly, going over without hesitation to take his hands in hers.

"Come on, Ishida-san, dance!" she said airily, swinging his arms in random directions and tapping her feet to the music. Uryu felt his face grow warm though he remained as stoic as ever, and Yume's laughter spilt into the air again, full of friendliness and good cheer.

Orihime came in at just that moment, and Yume abandoned Uryu immediately when she saw her friend carrying a tray with three small glasses on it.

"Caffeine!" she cheered as she saw that it was indeed Coca-Cola, and Uryu immediately sweatdropped, wondering if it was such a good idea to let Yume get a hold of such dangerous sugar.

"This is great," Yume said as she took the glass in her dainty hands. "Now we can get lots of energy from the caffeine to inspire our creative cooking!"

Orihime laughed. "I have a lot of ingredients in the kitchen, so there are lots of options we can come up with! And I have a great idea for the cake..."

"Yay, cake!" Yume cheered. "Lead the way, Inoue-chan, and let's get to teaching Ishida-san how to cook, eh?"

Uryu made a miserable face. _Why me...?_

_

* * *

_

"Ahahahaha!" Yume giggled, hiccupping as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Turn it up, turn it up!" she squealed to Orihime, who obliged and turned up the volume on the small radio she had on the table. The two girls giggled and clapped their hands cheerfully to the music side by side, singing along to the lyrics, Yume in a high-pitched, brazen voice and Orihime in a happy, yet slightly hesitant voice.

Uryu watched from the sidelines, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he watched the two girls celebrate Yume's arrival. He watched as Orihime's eyes closed in joy as her newfound friend wrapped her arm around her and they swayed in time to the blaring music, her mouth opening in an ecstatic smile. Uryu had never seen her this happy for a long time after the Arrancar incident. It filled his chest with relief and warm happiness to see her back to her old, innocently happy-go-lucky self again.

He cast his dark blue eyes down to the table in front of him and grimaced as his stomach reminded him rather nauseatingly of the dinner he had previously eaten. Yume and Orihime had come up with several dishes, the most disturbing being the mustard-leek-and-chicken-noodle-steak and the spaghetti-wasabi-red-bean-paste sandwich. He'd opted for some of the less...interesting...foods, not that any of them were really that normal to begin with. The Quincy had been forced to flee to the bathroom momentarily after eating one bite of the concoction he'd chosen, and he still doubted his stomach was going to let him have a good night's sleep.

A ding went off in the kitchen, startling both Orihime and Uryu, the former's eyes flying open in surprise. "Oh! The cake is done!" she said, and hurried off into the kitchen.

"YAY, more SUGAR!!" Yume crowed. Uryu was beginning to feel scared.

"Um, I think I'll go help her with that," he muttered quietly, and fled with Yume's high-pitched giggling chasing him all the way into the kitchen. Yume and Orihime had shooed him out of the kitchen-recently-turned-laboratory-of-horrors during the cake's creation, so he had not been able to see what it looked like, but he figured that he was going to find out very soon.

He found Orihime bending over to take out the cake, her delicate hands protected by heavy oven mitts as she smiled contentedly at their masterpiece. "All done!" she declared, and brought it out for the world to see.

Everything he had eaten that night paled in comparison to what Orihime now displayed proudly.

"Inoue-san…?"

Orihime looked up and saw him, and she broke out in a huge grin. "Oh, hi, Ishida-kun! Do you like our cake?"

"Umm…yeah, uh…why is it…blue?"

Sure enough, an oddity of oddities, the cake was a bright electric blue. Orihime looked down at the frightening baked good in her hands and blinked. "Oh. Well, I kind of wanted to come up with something different, you know, other than boring old chocolate or vanilla, brown or white. So…I asked Yamazaki-san to go get something for me before I put it in the oven, and when she wasn't there I colored it blue! Just like Yamazaki-san's hair. It's supposed to be a surprise. Do you think she'll like it?"

"I think she'll love it," Uryu replied, and Orihime gave him her brightest smile. Which, of course, instantly brought a hot blush to his cheeks.

"Well…I just…thought she'd like the inference towards her…unique hair style," Uryu stuttered as he shoved his glasses further up his nose in a clumsy attempt to hide the redness in his pale cheeks. "What exactly…does it taste like, Inoue-san? It's just food coloring that makes it blue, right…?"

Orihime's smile suddenly became twisted, and she gave him a little devilish grin that she only ever got when she was cooking something disturbingly strange. "We'll have to see when we eat it," she said with a tiny chuckle.

Her eyes widened as she realized, rather painfully, that the platter the cake was on was still fresh out of the oven, and she was still holding it. Uryu could almost hear her oven mitts sizzle.

"Oh, hot, hot!" Orihime cried, placing the platter hastily on the counter. She removed her oven mitts and began to blow frantically at her red-skinned hands. Uryu rolled his eyes with a fond smile at her helplessness. He took her wrists and guided her towards the faucet, where he turned the water on for her and let it run over her irritated skin.

"There," he said. "Maybe cold water will help."

Orihime looked up at him with a tiny smile, but it soon faded as she gazed up into his dark blue eyes, realizing how close they were. Uryu felt his own smile dissipate as he looked down at her, and for a moment, all that could be heard was the running water and Yume's sugar-induced singing.

Uryu quickly snatched his hands away from Orihime's and turned off the water, turning away as his face flushed furiously red for the _third _time that night. He heard Orihime dry her hands and saw her slowly, shyly, walk over to the cake.

"I should get to decorating it," she said softly, reaching for a cabinet to her high left. "Ishida-kun, do you think you could maybe take the cake off the platter and put it on a plate?"

Uryu obliged without hesitation, finding a clean plate in a cabinet near his feet as Orihime rummaged around in her supplies.

"Sugar sprinkles, green and purple icing…" he heard her mutter under her breath. "No, both boring…oooh, red pasta sauce! That would look pretty against the cake's color…"

Uryu mentally shuddered, watching in horror as she took out the pasta sauce and placed it on the counter next to her, adding it to the chocolate syrup and mayonnaise she had already set there.

_I hope she's not going to add those to the cake as edible decorations, _Uryu pleaded silently to no one in particular. Knowing Orihime, though, she was.

The Quincy shook his dark-haired head and moved to lift up the cake from the platter it was on. What he forgot, however, was that the platter was still sizzling hot from being in the oven. He burned his fingers on the hot metal as soon as he touched it and jerked his hands away with a pained hiss, frowning in irritancy at his red, blistered skin.

Orihime had heard him hiss in pain and turned around in concern. She saw him frowning at his fingers and the platter, put two and two together, and came over to him.

"Ishida-kun…" she said softly, "you burned your fingers…"

"Huh?" Uryu looked up at her. "Oh, yeah. It's nothing too serious, all I have to do is run some water over it and —"

He did not get a chance to finish. Orihime took his hand in her soft ones slowly, then pressed her lips gently against his burned skin.

Uryu gaped at her as she drew back, a startled look on her pretty face. Her eyes widened as she realized what she did, and her hands moved to her cover her mouth in sheer embarrassment.

"Oh!" she said, staring at him as he gawked in shock at her. "I…I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me! It's just…I got a burn once, and my older brother Sora kissed it and made it better, so I guess I just reacted instinctively and…now I'm babbling, and…I'm sorry, Ishida-kun."

Uryu forced a smile onto his heated face. "It's not a problem, Inoue-san," he said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. He heard his voice wobble nonetheless. "You were just trying to help."

Still, he couldn't help but remember how it had felt to have her kiss his hands, to feel her warm, soft lips on his skin. Uryu's face only got redder at the intimate thought and he coughed quietly as an awkward silence fell over the kitchen, once again disrupted only by Yume's toneless singing.

Harsh and bone-chilling, a howl suddenly ripped through the air outside the apartment, raising goose bumps on Uryu's skin and making fear clench tight at his breath.

_Hollow._

Yume's singing faltered and vanished, and he would have thought that she had heard it before she immediately started up the brash tune again. Orihime looked at Uryu for a moment, and then they both made a silent agreement and hurried out of the kitchen.

Yume looked up as they entered and gave them her most cheerful smile. "How's the cake?" she asked brightly.

"Fine, Yamazaki-san," Orihime said as Uryu rushed out the door without a word to the black-haired newcomer. "Umm, we have to go somewhere really quick, Ishida-kun and I, okay? Just stay here; we shouldn't be long."

"Inoue-san!" Uryu called from outside, and Orihime jumped.

"Yes, coming!" she yelled and tore out of the apartment, slamming the door shut behind her.

Yume stared after them silently, her turquoise-blue eyes strangely thoughtful and the girl herself abnormally quiet. She stood up and went over to the radio, turning it off with a single twist of its knob. Silence fell over the apartment, adding an eerie quality to wipe out the previously comfortable mood.

She remained silent for a moment, her lips pressed thin against each other in a frown. "So…he's found me again," she said quietly after a long pause.

Yume looked up and back towards the door, a worried look on her face and in her usually cheerful blue eyes. "Be careful, Ishida-san, Inoue-chan," she murmured. "You don't really know what you're getting yourself into. He's strong. Stronger than you can imagine. And this time…"

Another roar sounded in the night, accompanied by what sounded like an ear-torturing symphony of dozens more.

"He's not alone."

_To be continued..._

* * *

A/N: Gasp, DUN DUN DUUUNNN!!! The next chapter is where the plot starts to pick up, there's a lot of action in it. (Translation: I throw Ishida around a bit. Alright, a lot.) A big thanks to those of you who actually review...and stick with the story even though it's so lame b/c it's my first fanfic. Meh. 

P.S. Don't get used to me updating so frequently IT WILL NOT BE CONTINOUS.


	4. Four: Red Rain

I'm sooooooo sorry I took so long updating, I meant to post these on Monday, but I had to write a short story for my English class and I HATED it. It took _such_ a long time (even thoough it was supposed to be short)...but those who have peer-edited gave me good comments, so I'm hoping I get a really good grade! Cross your fingers for me and hope I get an A! It's worth 140 points and if I fail it my grade dies..._melissa edited this. (:_ (Yeah that was my friend Melissa she says hi, say hi back peoples!)

In a happier light, as an apology I'm going to paste TWO new chapters for my readers!! Enjoy...but not before reading this:

I feel like giving gratitude to people...so here's a big thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! **Lubeck07, TideDrop, Kita Kudai, Larxenethefirefly, and Orihime Girl** (although your review alarmed me, it got me going!) Thankies! Such very kind people...and those of you who read and don't review, well...I hope you like the story anyway. A shout out would be nice, too, though. Just to let me know you're there...

And now, onto the most exciting chapter since the beginning of this story! Hmm, disclaimer, disclaimer, who shall I pick...?

Yumiiichiikaaaa!

Yumichika: Oh? You must have chosen me because of my great beauty, neh?

Me:...I'll go with that! Plus, I wanted to hear someone say my disclaimer beautifully for once after all the neglect it received from previous disclaimer-announcers. -Sob sob sob-...So, take it away!

Yumichika: Beautifully! Ahem, ahem...Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own beautiful _beautiful_ Bleach. ...Tee hee, I'm so pretty!

Me: You killed it...

* * *

Four

Red Rain

"**He's not alone." **

Uryu pounded down the stairs to Orihime's apartment, taking them three at a time. He heard Orihime's clattering footsteps following him and frowned, unsure if he wanted her with him during a Hollow fight. She was good protection during a tight situation, but she might be put in danger, and they did not know if Aizen would try to take her back to Hueco Mundo again.

"Inoue-san," he said as he reached the bottom of the stairs and called forth his Quincy bow, "Be careful with this fight; these might be Aizen's Hollows, and we don't know if he'll try to…"

Uryu trailed off, and he sensed Orihime shift uncomfortably behind him as she picked up his drift. "I know, Ishida-kun," she murmured. "I'm just here to make sure you don't get hurt."

The pale-skinned Quincy nearly smiled at that. There she went again, worrying about other people when she should be worrying about her own safety.

The short thought melted away as Uryu frowned into the silent night. The pounding of his heart in anticipation of the fight was the only sound in his ears; Yume had turned off the radio. Where was the Hollow? The howl had come from very close by, and the reiatsu he was releasing should have lured it in by now…

"Psst, Ishida-kun," Orihime whispered to him, "I don't see the Hollow anywhere —"

A series of hideous, grating howls suddenly sounded up in the air with no warning, coming from everywhere at once.

Uryu's eyes widened as he saw multitudes of Hollows suddenly begin to wrench themselves out of the air, seemingly appearing from nowhere in the quiet neighborhood, completely surrounding the area around Orihime's house. Their numbers were too many to count at once, but Uryu made a guess of about twenty Hollows already and more approaching. He heard Orihime whimpering loudly behind him and tensed as the Hollows set their sights on him and the honey-haired girl, the creatures letting out short, blood-thirsty screeches. One Hollow in particular caught his attention; built with the same hunched posture as an ape, this one's arms and legs were unnaturally bony and angled, with its arms hanging well past its bent knees. It towered above the other Hollows, its mask a sharp-angled picture of alien cruelty. Red and black markings smeared their way across its mask, its eyeholes merely narrowed slits on its surface and its mouth a gaping slash tilted upwards into a leering smile. The Hollows near it moved towards it almost subconsciously, as bullies would to a ringleader. It was apparent that this Hollow was the entire horde's leader, and as more and more of them poured out of the sky, it seemed to grow more confident. Finally, the flow of Hollows appearing from the air halted, leaving just over sixty of the creatures surrounding the entire area.

There were too many for Uryu to handle, and he knew he'd be butchered in a moment if no help came.

"Kill," the lead Hollow suddenly wheezed, and its underlings leered and snarled as they moved in on the Quincy and a cowering Orihime.

"Shit…!"

* * *

"Baka!" Rukia spat at Ichigo. "I am not obsessed with Chappy!"

The couple was sitting in Ichigo's room at his house, busy with yet another of their constant arguments.

"What, are you kidding me?" Ichigo teased the fuming shinigami as he lounged in his chair, completely unfazed by her apparent fury. "You have one of the worst obsessions with that thing as any I've ever seen. No obsession, yeah right."

"It's not true!" Rukia objected, flailing her arms at him melodramatically. "Just because I always use him when I'm drawing a layout of a plan and have pictures of him inside my pocket and…er."

Ichigo stared at her in silence for a moment, then burst out laughing. "What the hell?! You carry pictures of that demented rabbit in your _pockets_?"

"No, who said that!?" Rukia yelled at him. "Ichigo…"

The shinigami-representative continued to laugh, until a familiar beeping noise cut through his unwanted noise. Rukia blinked, reached into her pocket (pushing Chappy pictures out of the way) and took out her cell phone. "We've got a Hollow," she announced grimly, returning to her somber self immediately. Ichigo became serious as well and got to his feet out of the chair, coming over to the small shinigami to check the location of the Hollow.

"Where is it?" he asked.

"Not far, just a couple streets over from a block down…oh, wait…that's Inoue-chan's house!"

Ichigo frowned and hurried to the closet, where a particular stuffed animal was sleeping at the moment. The orange-haired teenager grabbed it, and upon contact, the toy immediately stirred awake.

"Hey, Ichigo, what're you doing?" Kon asked sleepily as he was disturbed from his rest.

"You're gonna need to take care of my body for a while, Kon," Ichigo replied, and before the stuffed animal could ask what for, he shoved his hand down the toy's throat. Kon protested loudly as Ichigo rummaged around in him, scowling in concentration. A thought crossed his mind, and he looked up at Rukia.

"Hey, Rukia, isn't Ishida over at Inoue's today?"

"Oh, yeah," Rukia said, some relief apparent on her face. "Everything should be fine, then…"

She trailed off as her cell phone began to beep again and another dot appeared on the device's screen, her eyes widening in horror as the noise repeated itself over and over as fast as it could. Ichigo came over with a surprisingly serious expression on his face despite the fact that he had his hand stuffed down a plushy toy's throat, and watched in silence as more and more dots appeared on the screen around Inoue's area by the dozens. The dots finally stopped appearing when the entire area was surrounded by a circle of Hollows, a sea of red dots around the tiny apartment complex Orihime lived in.

Rukia left her gigai without a word as Ichigo extracted a small green bead from inside Kon's body, getting out of his own and popping the bead inside its mouth. His body automatically opened its eyes as Kon's spirit inhabited it, and the modified soul got to its feet.

"Let's go," Ichigo said shortly, fingering the hilt of the massive sword that had appeared on his back, and Rukia swiftly opened the window for them to slip out.

"Be careful, Nee-sama!" Kon called out after them as they slipped out and raced away into the night.

"That thing gets its signal from Soul Society, right?" Ichigo asked Rukia as they ran at an inhumanly quick speed.

"Yes," Rukia replied. "So they'll get the message at once, and I doubt that with such a huge disturbance they won't send someone to help. If not, we'll at least have Urahara to help us; I know he can't ignore something as big as this."

Ichigo kept silent for a while as they leapt up to a rooftop in one bound and sped across the others, their feet barely seeming to touch the tiles as they sprinted towards Orihime's house.

"I wonder if it's Aizen," he murmured pensively, half to himself, half to Rukia. The black-haired shinigami flicked him a glance before returning to frown out in front of her, trying not to let the prospect frighten her too much.

* * *

"Tsubaki, Koten Zanshun! I reject!"

Tsubaki sliced through the air in front of Uryu, nearly nicking his nose off in the process, and cut straight through a Hollow that had snuck up on him. Orihime let out a pleased cry and her fairy returned to her side, waiting for another opportunity to attack. A different Hollow loomed over the girl without any warning and attacked, but she managed to lift up her shield just in time to ward off its blow.

Uryu spun from his current adversary and fired off several missiles at the beast attacking her, each arrow striking its victim exactly as he wanted it to. Although he was panting and tiring quickly from facing so many enemies, Uryu knew these Hollow were of the weak class, not even coming close to being Arrancars, and hard duels in Hueco Mundo made these seem as easy to swat aside as flies. They kept on coming, though, and what they lacked in power they made up for in speed. He'd had to leap into the air multiple times to avoid several surprise attacks, and Orihime was almost constantly using her shield to ward off attacks. She was helping, however little it was; just as she'd done a few moments ago, she had saved him from Hollows he had not seen sneak up on him with deadly intent that was most unlike her. Hueco Mundo seemed to have changed Orihime.

Talons whistled through the air and Uryu was forced to duck under one Hollow's arm as it made a grab for him, sending up an arrow to pierce straight through its chest and spear one floating in the air above it. He had to pay more attention; there were too many of them for him to be able to let his guard down. Uryu leapt over one Hollow's head that was between him and Orihime, not wanting to get separated from his only ally. He could see a swarm of the creatures ganging up on her, striking him as odd as they seemed to be trying to really hurt her. If these were Aizen's Hollows, why were they trying to kill Orihime? Shouldn't they be trying to capture her alive and unhurt, instead?

A Hollow's huge hand suddenly slammed into him from behind and sent him careening through the air to crash into Orihime's shield with a burst of stinging pain. She lowered it as she stuttered his name in shock, and Uryu rolled to his feet, shaking his head briefly to disperse the stars dancing behind his eyes. It was the lead Hollow that had struck him. It stood towering high above him with a sneering grin on its face, flexing its long talons experimentally.

"You're taking too long for us to destroy," it hissed. "You're not the one we want; you are merely a troublesome insect in our way."

It raised a hand with amazing speed and slashed at the startled pair, and Uryu only just managed to jerk Orihime out of the way before the Hollow's talons scraped his chest. The Quincy felt raw, sharp pain spike through his chest as shallow but long cuts opened up on his white uniform. He heard Orihime scream at the sight of his blood.

"Run, Inoue-san!" he yelled at her, pushing out of the way as the Hollow swung at them again. "Get away from here and don't let them follow you!"  
"No!" Orihime yelled back to him. "I can't leave you alone, Ishida-kun!"

"Then you'll die as well!" the Hollow screeched, leaving Uryu and making a quick move for her.

Uryu shot an arrow at the Hollow's back, but the monster must have had a sixth sense because it moved slightly and the missile only grazed its shoulder. The Hollow turned around slowly to face him, its eyes narrowed in hatred.

"I am your opponent," Uryu said sternly while training his bow on his enemy. "_Never _turn your back on me."

The Hollow grinned and moved, a slight crouching of its already-bent legs, and then it was gone, almost as if it had shun-poed. Uryu felt his eyes go wide — it was so fast! He barely saw it move…

It towered over him, its talons cutting deep into his side, and Uryu knew that if it had struck any deeper it would have gotten dangerously close to hitting his vital organs. He was hurled backwards, his bow vanishing, and hit the pavement hard, skidding along its rough surface on his back until he came to a stop. His body shook as he lay still, racked with unimaginable pain that emanated from his chest and side as blood drenched his white clothes and stained the ground around him in a red pool.

_Get up, _he screamed at himself. _Get up! Don't let…it…_

Too late. Uryu saw the Hollow move again and instantly fought to roll away, but the creature scooped him up in one hand and hurled him to the ground in front of Orihime as easily as an angry child would do with a rag doll.

"Ishida-kun!" he heard her scream, her pale, terrified face spinning dizzily above him. He struggled to his feet, fighting against his agonizingly protesting muscles. No matter what, he had to protect her. He could be hurt as badly as the Hollow wanted him to be, just as long as it gave Orihime at least a little bit of cover.

The Hollow tensed up again, its on-looking followers leering excitedly as they waited for it to deliver another blow.

The sound of footsteps on metal suddenly got the creature's attention, and it frowned as it turned towards the stairs to Orihime's house. Yume stood at the base of the stairs, her brightly-colored eyes wide in fearful anger as her hand clutched the stairs' railing so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Uryu felt confusion stagger into his pain-clouded mind as he noticed that Yume was staring right at the Hollow, even giving the others around her a quick scan.

_She can…see them. But how? She's just an ordinary human! _

If Uryu thought the lead Hollow's smile had been vicious before, it was nothing compared to what it looked like now as it saw the raven-haired girl staring up at it.

"Come out of your safe hole, now have you, Yamazaki?" the Hollow drawled.

Yume glared up at it. "I wasn't hiding, if that's what you thought."

The Hollow grinned again. "You seem a little different tonight, girl. A bit less...pathetic than usual."

Yume narrowed her eyes at the creature in silence. "He sent you, didn't he?" she asked quietly. "I remember...I remember how mad he was when I left."

The Hollow laughed for the first time Uryu had heard it do so, choking it off bit by bit so it sounded more like a yelping animal than anything else. "Use your head, girl, you should know the answer to your question!" It jeered down at her. "You've changed in this short time, haven't you? The Master's anger doesn't seem to faze you at all...but do you know what _I _remember, Yamazaki? I remember you as a sniveling little girl, always going so brainlessly through life without any worries at all. And then, when I would attack, you would turn into a cowardly little snot, a pathetic fleeing thing that would run and run and always get caught by my talons in the end. Now look at you; glaring at me like you want to kill me. My, my, what can change in four months will never cease to amaze me..."

Its smile faded away, dripping into a sour frown. "But you're still weak, aren't you? How are you going to drive me away, Yamazaki, if you have no weapon?"

Yume narrowed her eyes. "No weapon? Huh! Like you said, a lot of things can change in four months…"

The girl closed her bright eyes, and Uryu felt shock run through his exhausted system as a soft pulse of reiatsu entered the air. Yume reached out her hand, her fingers splayed apart, and what looked like particles of creamy-white light began to pull themselves out of the air and twist into her grip. The particles formed into a shape, vague at first, like a long pole of light. Then they took on a detailed form; when they finally stopped gathering, Yume held a zanpakutou in her hands, its hilt and handle constructed of flawless creamy metal and its long blade made of strong steel. A bird, its tail long and trailing, was etched into the handle of the sword, its graceful head bent and wings up around it, almost as if it was crying and shielding its misery from the world.

"Seventh misery of a stolen star," Yume said clearly, her words ringing into the cold air. Uryu felt all the reiatsu around them gather towards the dainty, strange-eyed girl as she said the first of the rest of the verses he knew were going to follow.

"Heartless power of the heavens...Sorrow of an intangible world," Yume continued, "Conform, Ivory —"

A zanpakutou's jagged blade suddenly flew through past her from behind Yume, cutting her off just as she was about to reveal what Uryu suspected was her bankai, however impossible that thought was. The blade had been aiming for the Hollow, but it stepped aside in one easy motion and the zanpakutou speared its weaker companion standing nearby instead. Uryu snapped his head past Yume, pushing away and overcoming the pain that the quick motion provoked, and followed her gaze to stare in relief at the five shinigami standing there.

Renji grinned as he retracted his zanpakutou's blade with a sharp jerk, his eyes glinting with bloodlust. "Damn," he said, "I missed."

Matsumoto, standing beside a tall bald man and a short twelve-year-old boy with snowy hair and a shinigami captain's uniform, let out a loud giggle. "Careful, Renji-kun, remember to save some Hollows for my taichou. Otherwise, you know how he'll get."

"Shut up, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya snapped at his big-bosomed lieutenant, and drew his zanpakutou.

"Oh!" Yumichika exclaimed when he saw the lead Hollow hunching and glaring at them all. "Now _that _Hollow is _not _so beautiful, wouldn't you agree, Ikkaku?"

The bald shinigami scowled at his flamboyant companion. "Shut up, you fool," he said, "and let's get to killing them!"

"Is Aizen making his move already?" Hitsugaya asked the lead Hollow in an uninterested voice as he shifted his zanpakutou in his grip. "It seems a bit hasty to me, but alright, if killing your mob will get rid of a piece of his army then it's fine with me."

The Hollow hissed in hatred at the short shinigami captain. "What Aizen-sama does is none of your business, twerp," it sneered. Hitsugaya's emerald-blue eyes went wide with fury, and he stared straight up at the Hollow. "Did he just call me 'twerp'?" he asked his fellow shinigami.

"I believe so," Renji replied with a menacing smile that came _way _to easily to him.

"Huh."

Without another word, the shinigamis' small company leapt into action.

"Take us if you can, shinigami wretches!" the lead Hollow jeered.

Uryu flinched mentally as the two sides clashed with a series of howls and slashes, the Hollows engulfing the five shinigami and struggling to overwhelm them with their numbers. These shinigami had been selected and sent to the real world for a reason, though; none of them were particularly weak, and they handled the Hollows with apparent ease. Hitsugaya, especially, seemed to be having no trouble at all with cutting down all of the Hollows in his path with his shikai. There was no need for anyone's bankai; these Hollows had weak strength as it was, and up against a captain and four other high-seated shinigami, they were no match.

"Yamazaki-san!" Uryu called out to Yume, who was staring at the carnage before her with blank eyes. "Get inside where it's safe."  
She turned her stare on him, still holding her zanpakutou awkwardly as if she did not know what to do with it. Uryu saw her reach up to grasp the middle bell hanging from her neck on the black satin string, and though he could not hear it over the sound of the fighting, he saw her give it a ring and say something. Her zanpakutou dissipated almost immediately after and she ran over to them, dodging several fleeing Hollows as she did.

"I'm going to stay here," she announced. "There's not that many of these things left, and your weird friends are pretty much taking care of them."

"Do you mind telling us what's going on?" Uryu demanded. "What was that zanpakutou you had, and how can you see the Hollows?" He knew it was neither the time nor place for such questions, but he wasn't thinking clearly through his pain.

"Hollows? Oh, is that what those things are called?" Yume asked him with raised eyebrows. Uryu scowled as she avoided his questions and opened his mouth to snap at her, but right at that moment the lead Hollow appeared from seemingly nowhere to loom over them, killing intent bright in what could be called its eyes.

Then Ichigo was there, leaping from a nearby rooftop with Zangetsu in hand, swinging and cutting deep into the Hollow's arm. The monster howled and jerked itself away before its arm could be severed completely, giving the newly arrived shinigami-representative and Rukia a death glare.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime cried out in relief. If he hadn't had been in so much pain, Uryu would have felt a stab of hurt when he heard the sheer happiness in her voice as she said Ichigo's name.

"K…Kurosaki," he gasped instead. Fear, relief, and pain rushed into his body without warning, a strong burst of emotion and feeling that left his legs feeling frighteningly weak, as if the slightest touch would make them crumple beneath him. He felt his face drain completely of color, his hands nearly shaking at his sides.

Ichigo looked concerned as he took his gaze away from his enemy, and the Hollow immediately tensed at the sudden opportunity.

"Hey, don't go giving out on us, Ishida," Ichigo said worriedly. He did not seem to notice the Hollow's new excitement.

"You fool, Kurosaki!" Uryu snapped at the startled shinigami-representative, "Never take your eyes off your enemy!"

Ichigo raised his eyebrows as he remembered his adversary, and the Hollow had just started to swing for the unsuspecting boy when Orihime yelled, "Tsubaki — Koten Zanshun, I reject!"

The fairy cut deeply into the shoulder of the Hollow's uninjured arm, the one moving for Ichigo. Tsubaki had to dart back quickly to Orihime's side as the huge creature screamed and made a weak, but full-hearted, swipe for him.

"Watch who you send me out to attack, woman!" Tsubaki spat at Orihime. "I nearly got hit — again!"

He returned to her hairclip, leaving Orihime slightly flustered and weak-kneed both from his outburst and the fact that she had injured the Hollow so badly. Uryu watched the lead Hollow bend over slightly, panting heavily from its wounds. A quick glance around the street revealed that only a few of the other creatures were left, and even in its weakened state, the lead Hollow was still the main threat.

The Hollow straightened, his gaze locked on Orihime. "You, girl," it wheezed. "Orihime Inoue. He hasn't forgotten you."

Orihime gave a tiny, terror-filled gasp as she linked "he" to Aizen, her recent captor, and Uryu moved unconsciously in front of her to block the huge Hollow's gaze. "You're not going to get her back," he snarled.

"Ishida-kun…" he heard Orihime whisper behind him, but kept his gaze on the Hollow. It leered scornfully at him. "Don't worry, Quincy. Aizen's gaze has moved on to bigger and better people, and she's not our main concern anymore. But…it would be an advantage if we did have her." The Hollow ignored the way Uryu's glare intensified and leaned to the side slightly to peer around him at Orihime.

"You're going to wish you'd stayed in Hueco Mundo," he hissed. "We're going to make you wish you'd never be born."

Uryu's arm came up and he summoned his complex bow, drawing a spirit arrow and pointing it straight at the Hollow's forehead. "Threaten her like that again," he said in a deadly quiet voice, "and it'll be _you _that's wishing you'd never been born."

The Hollow snorted disdainfully, and its eyes flicked to stare behind him as Hitsugaya slaughtered the last of his followers. "I wouldn't be so cocky, human," it said. "You don't know half of what you think you know."

A black portal opened up behind it, more like a jagged slit in the air than anything else, and before anyone could move the Hollow slipped inside it and was gone. Silence, dark and foreboding, fell over the vicinity in the moment that followed…at least, until Ichigo's big mouth broke it.

"Look at you, Ishida, all beat up!" he scoffed at the Quincy as he silently lowered his spirit bow. "You must've gotten lazy over the past few months to let this scuffle get out of hand."

Uryu wanted to retort something back at him, but he felt the black pit of unconsciousness looming up around him, and he only managed to give the orange-haired teenager a scowl. Then his bow dissipated from his shaking fingers and his body crumpled beneath him, Orihime's surprised cry the only thing his ears heard before he slipped into darkness.

* * *

A/N: No, poor Ishida...oh well he'll be okay. How do I know? Because I'm writing the story and I wouldn't be writing it if he died and wasn't the main character anymore, or at least one of them. And speaking of another main character...wasn't Yume acting a bit OC? It all fits in with the plot, so it wasn't an error of mine...it was _supposed _to be there! The next chapter is mainly about Byakuya...alright, it's ALL about Byakuya. But it's very very important to the story so read those of you who do.

p.s. I wouldn't be surprised if Rukia really did carry pictures of Chappy in her pocketses...


	5. Five: A Midsummer Night's Nightmare

Heyyyy okay, here's the next chapter. It's pretty important to the plot so you MUST read it if you don't want to be confused later on in the story. I don't care if the title makes no sense, I like it so there. If you connect it to Shakespeare's play then you can see some kind of similarity in the fact that it's really disorienting. And I'm sorry it's so short. But I shall feel no guilt! Nyeheheheh...

My favorite part of the introduction: disclaimer time!!!!

This time we have the honor of hosting...Gin! AND FOR ABSOLUTELY RANDOM REASONS!!!

Gin: Eh? Why me?

Me: Didn't you hear what I just said? Huh...I thought I shouted it loud enough to bust everybody's eardrums, but if you want me to scream it again, I will...

Gin: -hastily, while waving hands around- no, no, that's okay! Eh, let's see...Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach. ...Can I go back to Hueco Mundo now?

Me: Yes, you may.

-Gin walks away-

Silenceeeeeeee...

Me:...-whispering- I love awkward silences...

* * *

Five

A Midsummer Night's Nightmare

He sighed mentally as he stood in the empty street by the hill, taking in the familiar surroundings. His face remained as stoic and cold as ever, but beneath his emotionless surface he was seething with frustration and irritation.

_This again? When is this ever going to end?_

The girl screamed for the first time that night, and he turned to look down the street, where he knew she would be tearing around the corner any minute now. The Hollow had already found her; soon, it would kill her.

Or so it seemed to Byakuya Kuchiki as he stood alone with the cold wind tugging at his long black hair, his captain's coat stirring on his shoulders as he took in a deep, patient breath and waited for Yume Yamazaki to come running with her death on her heels. Or was it her death? Byakuya did not know; he only stayed long enough to watch the Hollow spear her on its talons and let her slip limply, probably lifelessly, to the ground. Then, he was always whisked away. He'd long ago made the assumption that the girl died. Long ago, when he'd first visited this nightmare.

There she was — Yume, though he did not know her name yet, whirled around the corner of the street so fast that her feet became tangled beneath her for a moment and she stumbled. Maybe she would have made it if she hadn't stumbled, maybe she wouldn't have; Hollows were fickle things, chasing their victims no matter what or backing off when there were too many souls around, too many to lose the one they wanted in.

Yume sped towards Byakuya, her feet flying over the pavement and her arms pumping madly at her side. It was now that the Hollow pounded around the corner and continued to pursue her. Byakuya's eyes narrowed in hatred when he saw the creature, but he did not instinctively reach for his zanpakutou as he would have had the situation been normal — if he hadn't known many times before that he did not have his sword with him. He had seen the girl "die" too many times to disregard the Hollow's attack, and he wanted to stop it, but there was no way that he could with no weapon. Besides, he had noticed the first time he came here that no one could see him. He was like a spirit, observing and waiting impatiently and wanting to do something, but not being able to. He'd tried to touch the girl before; his hand had gone right through her.

Yume was turning around now, her vibrant eyes wide with terror, and she screamed for the second time as the Hollow plunged its talons through her middle. Byakuya closed his eyes silently, slowly, not wanting to see the rest of what happened and knowing that he would be swept away soon now, taken back to his warm bed in Soul Society.

For this was indeed a literal nightmare. He'd been having the same nightmare over and over again for the past four months.

Byakuya opened his eyes, knowing that when he did he should be back in bed staring at his ceiling, and — he frowned. He was still there. Yume was still lying on the ground grasping her stomach, coughing blood into a pool around her head as she choked out her last breaths with the Hollow crouching over her.

"Dead yet?" the Hollow asked, wheezing the words out in a sharp growl. "That's what we've been waiting for for a very long time, now. Best not keep us waiting any longer, eh?"

Yume coughed quietly and turned her face away as tears poured forth from her bright eyes, clenching her blood-stained teeth in agony. The Hollow scoffed. "Still fighting, even to the end? Did you really think you would be able escape without us hunting you down? Without us killing you?"

The girl groaned sharply and curled her legs closer to her shivering body, her eyes glazing over as the life leaked out of her into the cold, hard ground. The Hollow made a disgusted sound as it peered down at the mess she was making. "You were such a messy thing, even back then! Should I just snuff out your life quickly, then? Just get it over with? Isn't that in your soul's best interests?"

_Best interests? _Byakuya took a slow step towards the Hollow and the dying girl. _Why would a Hollow be interested in the well-being of a human's soul if it has just about killed her?_

Something glinting around Yume's hand caught Byakuya's attention. He looked closely, and as he did he saw what looked like creamy-white spirit particles, but not quite — the shape was wrong, they looked like microscope bells — being sucked out of the air and into Yume's palm. Or, rather, "into" Yume's palm so it looked like she was holding them. More and more particles gathered until Yume was weakly grasping a sleek zanpakutou, its hilt made not of the usual black metal but of smooth, ivory steel with a bird drawn delicately in its side.

Byakuya saw the Hollow rear back with a startled hiss, its eyes wide with fear. "That again!" it screeched. "I thought it had been purged —!"

Ivory light burst into being around Yume's unmoving form, a light so bright that it blinded Byakuya's eyes and he was forced to turn away slightly to shield them from the harsh glare. He heard the Hollow screeching, screaming; when he sensed the light finally die down a bit and the Hollow's cries come to a fading halt, he turned back to look at the scene before him.

As it happened, he turned just in time to see the Hollow fleeing into a black tear in the air, no doubt running back to Hueco Mundo and safety. Byakuya completely forgot about the creature as he looked back to Yume, the scene before him wiping his mind clean of all else but awe.

A giant bird of creamy-white, sparkling light was bending over Yume's twisted form, its head bent down to nuzzle the girl's blank face with its beak. The air seemed to shimmer around it, and when it moved, it left a trail of sparkling ivory dust where it had been a moment before that graced the air only a moment before it faded away. The bird was impossibly graceful, its feathers long and perfect and its tail feathers trailing almost like a tail around its clawed feet, so long were they. Byakuya had only ever seen one of this kind of bird before, and only then in a book of mythical creatures: a phoenix.

The phoenix tilted its head when Yume did not respond, her eyes remaining closed in her blood-and-tear-streaked face. It gave a soft, barely perceptible coo and moved its head to the wound in her middle, and as Byakuya watched in anticipation, it pressed its elegant head against the gaping tear.

Yume's wound seemed to turn back on itself; the broken skin pulled itself together and met its split end, the blood around the girl collecting back into her body, just as clean as it had been when she had spilt it on the ground around her. Byakuya remained silently watchful as Yume's wound was healed, and his eyes glued themselves to her face as her turquoise-blue ones flickered open. She smiled as she saw the bird standing protectively above her and gently brought its head down with one still-weak hand to give its soft feathers a tiny kiss. The girl's hand fell away limply from the bird's head then, and she closed her eyes as she sank into unconsciousness, still holding a sweet smile on her face.

The bird straightened slowly, its graceful, sorrowfully beautiful form rising from crouching over Yume…and then it looked straight at him. Pure white eyes glared into dark grey ones, and Byakuya felt shock building up in a yell in his throat as he experienced an unearthly gaze like none he had ever felt before. He remained stock still for a moment, and then — he could not take it anymore.

* * *

Byakuya's eyes flew open and he lurched up in bed, his chest heaving with uneven breaths and his entire body drenched in sweat. It took him a while to realize that he was back in his room in Soul Society.

The sixth division captain gave a tiny shudder and tore his blankets away from his body before rising to his feet. He grimaced down at himself in disgust; sweating from a nightmare was like wetting the bed from his point of view. Byakuya walked quietly over to his door and slid it open, sticking his head outside of his room into the cold night air. A brisk breeze picked up his sweat-drenched hair and cooled his neck, and Byakuya closed his eyes in pleasure for a moment before turning back into his room. He did not close the door behind him.

The dream remained all too real for him, a livid nightmare that plagued his every thought. It had done that before as well, especially as his nightmares became more and more frequent, but never like they did right now. Byakuya could not banish from his mind the sight of Yume's frightened turquoise-blue eyes staring straight through him, of the Hollow spearing her with its talons and then leering over its prize, and most of all, the ivory-white phoenix turning its head sharply to stare accusingly at him. That one, simple look had shaken him to the core more than anything had ever done in his entire life.

Byakuya closed his eyes and breathed in deeply for several minutes, placing himself in a stage that he often took when he was having trouble keeping his cool exterior. He rarely lost his cold mask, if ever, and when he got close to doing so he would simply breathe for a moment.

Pacified, the captain opened his eyes and wandered further into his house. Now, for a bath to wipe away the filth that was smothering him.

_How disgusting…_

* * *

A/N: Okay, that little straying-away-from-the-main-plotline was necessary, so bear with me. I thought it was going to rain today and it didn't, how disappointing is that? Oh well...read and review, you know the drill. 


	6. Six: The War Is Upon Us

Tuesdays are awesomer than Mondays so that's why I'm posting this one today and not yesterday. Plus it wasn't ready. :P Next chapter, next chapter! This one's basically part of the centerpiece of Yume's background, so if you want to learn how she got to where she is then read!!

Disclaimer! (As always)

Me: Uh, let's see...huh, I'm blankin' out today. Funny. Alrighty then, I guess we'll just have to go with Renji!

Renji: You make it sound like choosing me is a bad thing.

Me: It is. You've got an attitude problem. So just get on with the disclaiming already!

Renji: Alright, alright! Uh, Kimsa Ki-Lurria doesn't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does.

-Long, drawn out pause as Renji seems to wait for something-

Me: What are you still doing here? You're finished!

Renji: Well, what about my prize? You gave Ishida a freakin' cape, woman!

Me: Eh? But Ishi-kun is my favorite, and that was four chapters ago! Besides, I don't think he wears it...

-Ishida walks onstage, wearing the cape I gave him-

-Both Renji and me stare at him until he grows uncomfortable-

Ishida: What? I lost my other one.

Stupid I know, but..._Enjoy!_

* * *

Six

The War is Upon Us…Now Who Wants Cake?!

Uryu was warm. He couldn't feel the cold pavement pressing into his back anymore, couldn't feel the heat slowly being stolen from his very body. There was no pain that he was aware of, only warm semi-comfort as what he was lying on seemed to be hard but with a touch of soft as well. The Quincy opened his eyes slowly after a few seconds he took to simply breathe and breathe alone, reveling in the feeling of not a prick of pain searing through his body at every movement.

"Ishida-kun!" Orihime said brightly, her face mere inches from his.

Uryu blinked and lurched upwards, thankful that she at least managed to draw back from him in time. She had been bending over him; he could see that now as he spotted her kneeling by his side with her hands on her thighs. They were in her house again, but this time with the recent arrivals and Yume sitting in the now overly-crowded living room.

Oh yes, Yume. Uryu felt his eyes travel to her, where she stood near him and Orihime with her hands clasped around each other as she stared straight ahead. There was something different about her eyes; they were devoid of their usual cheerfulness, instead swirling with anxiety into their very depths. Yume's mouth was drawn into a tight, small line that wobbled on her face as if she was trying to contain a burst of bubbly giggles, but there was nothing happy or excited about her now. Uryu could tell that she was trembling, even as she clenched her hands tighter around each other to try and stop their shaking. She was scared. But of what?

"Ayame, Shun'ou, you can go back and rest now," Orihime said to her fairies, bringing Uryu back to the present moment. The two female spirits gave her their weary thanks and swiftly returned to her hairclip, settling in to relax after their work was done.

And what good work they'd managed to do, too. Uryu looked down at himself to find not only all of his wounds completely gone, but his clothes fixed as well. He gave Orihime a tentative smile, incredibly thankful for her gifts.

"Thank you, Inoue-san," he said. She gave him a shy smile and looked down into her lap, playing with her fingers.

"You're welcome, Ishida-kun."

"Attention here, please," Hitsugaya interrupted rudely, and the two turned their gazes towards him. He was wearing his usual scowl, but there was something different about it — a perturbed kind of emotion that they had never seen him have before.

"What is your name?" the captain asked Yume bluntly. The girl started, her hands clasping each other even more tightly as she stared over at Hitsugaya.

"Yamazaki Yume."

"What division are you from?"

Yume blinked, her eyebrows drawing close together. "Umm…sorry?"

Hitsugaya's frown deepened. "Which division? You know, the squads that make up the Gotei 13."

Yume slowly shook her head. "I'm…not from a division."

Her answer startled everyone, and they stared and frowned at her in turn. Yume began to grow uncomfortable under their stares, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "Is there something wrong with that?" she asked after a pause.

"How can you have a zanpakutou and not be in a division?" Ikkaku asked. "It's not possible. The only person who ever used a zanpakutou and wasn't from Soul Society is bleach-head over there —" he jerked a thumb in Ichigo's direction, earning himself a malevolent glare from the spiky-haired boy.

Yume gave the bald-headed shinigami an apologetic smile. "I don't know how I have that sword. I just do."

"I don't sense any spiritual pressure from you, though, so how can you have a zanpakutou?"

"I don't know."

"Let's try a different question," Hitsugaya said, "instead of just asking her the same question in different forms. Have you ever been to Soul Society, Yamazaki?"

"I don't think so."

"Do you know what Soul Society is?"

"No, sir."

Matsumoto raised her eyebrows at the girl. "You don't know what Soul Society is? How can you not know? You're basically a shinigami!"

Yume stared at her. "E…excuse me? I'm not a shinigami. I'm just a regular girl. Just a regular girl…"

"You're not a 'regular girl,'" Hitsugaya said sourly. It was obvious he was getting tired of not getting the answers he wanted. "You wield a zanpakutou, and a powerful one, by the looks of what we just saw before Abarai interrupted you. Are you sure you don't know about anything connected to Soul Society, or do you just not want to tell us?"

"I really don't know!" Yume said. Her voice started to take on a higher pitch, and she had a slightly panicked look in her wide eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't know anything about Soul Society or divisions or zanpakutous, not even this 'spiritual pressure' you're talking about!"

Hitsugaya frowned sternly at her. "I find that hard to believe. If you've never heard of Soul Society, how are you a shinigami? How do you have a zanpakutou? And how, in all of Soul Society, do you already have a bankai at such an early age?"

"I…don't…know!" Yume nearly screamed.

Uryu, Ichigo, Rukia, and Orihime gawked at her in complete silence. Who was this girl that looked like their new friend but was so utterly different, so frightened and confused? Where was the bubbly, cheerful Yume they knew?  
Orihime stood abruptly and placed her hands on her friend's shaking shoulders. "Shhh, calm down, Yamazaki-chan," she said in a soothing voice. "Everything's going to be okay."

Yume's expression slowly relaxed as her body did, and she seemed to go limp as a puppet in Orihime's gentle hold.

"I'm sorry," she breathed softly. "I really am. I can't tell you how I do these things, but I might be able to tell you what I do know."

She took a sharp, shuddering breath as everyone remained silent, waiting for her to continue. She did.

"When I was twelve years old, my parents and two sisters were killed in an attack by those…Hollows that we just fought. I don't know why they didn't attack me; maybe they thought I didn't have any of this…spiritual pressure you were talking about. I remember my parents and siblings were able to see them and I could too, and the Hollows killed my parents because they were protecting my sisters. _They_ were the ones that the Hollows really wanted to eat. I ran as soon as they left to find the police, and they thought that maybe I had done something to cause their deaths. My grandparents were my closest family at the time, so they got me out of the trouble caused by the laws and police. We settled into a nice, calm kind of lifestyle…at least, until that one Hollow came."

Yume took another long breath as she paused in her story, giving the group a short time to digest the first part of her life. Uryu felt the shock he had gained from listening as vibrant in his chest as a car's veering headlights, both caused by an unexpected turn of events.

_Yamazaki-san's parents and sisters were killed in front of her as she watched, _he thought shakily. _She only had her grandparents after that, and even that was torn away from her. She's just like us. Yamazaki-san has suffered just as much as we have. And yet she's so happy…just like Inoue-san._

Yume continued with her story then, drawing Uryu's attention back to her. "I don't know why it came after me if it thought that I didn't have any spiritual pressure," she said. "It just did. It attacked me twice. The first time, I managed to escape. The second time…that was the attack that made me run away. Run here."

"You said you'd just moved here with your family," Ichigo spoke up. "You said you'd moved here just today."

Yume smiled sadly at the orange-haired boy. "Yes, Kurosaki-kun, I said that. But…I lied. I lied when I said I had a family…I only had my grandparents, and even they didn't want me after the second attack. They thought I was a freak, getting into accidents like that. They didn't understand why I could see things that no one else could. The Hollows were imaginary things…to them."

She suddenly frowned, and her voice came dangerously close to breaking as angry tears filled her eyes. "But they're not imaginary; I know that. I came here hoping that I could get away from the Hollow, hoping that it would continue to look for me at my old home and not follow me. But…I was wrong. It followed me here, and now it's endangering you. I'm sorry, but that's all I know. I have a zanpakutou, if that's what you call it, so I guess that means I have spirit power. If I can use it to fight against the Hollows, then I will, because they killed my family and destroyed what happiness I knew in the world. I want to fight, but I'm scared. I'm scared…"

Yume turned her brightly-colored gaze to Hitsugaya, her turquoise-blue eyes uncharacteristically intense. "I want to help, but I can't do it without getting help for myself. In order to do that…" the black-haired girl lifted her chin, squaring her slender shoulders as she announced the entire reason she was telling them this.

"I want to go to Soul Society."

Hitsugaya was silent for a moment, his teal-green eyes inscrutable. Then, he sighed and ran a hand through his thick white hair, his very movements screaming irritancy and reluctance. "Fine," he grunted. "You can come. I need to talk the matter over with my fellow shinigami first, however, so I would appreciate it if you stepped into the kitchen for a moment."

Yume nodded, her gaze softening and losing its determination as she grew weary from the rush of excitement she had just experienced. She walked into the kitchen without complaint, and as soon as she was out of sight Hitsugaya turned to the rest of his group.

"I should probably contact Soul Society about this first, but I have a feeling that the Hollows will come back soon," he said. "We can send another squad back here if they appear again, but for now we should get her to Soul Society and talk to Captain-Commander Yamamoto. I don't like this; it's just like your case, Kurosaki."

Ichigo blinked at him. "My…case?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "You became a shinigami-representative by means usually unheard of. I don't know how Yamazaki got her spirit power all of a sudden, without any warning at all or any knowledge of how she did, but I do know that she was reciting a bankai's verse when we arrived. If she wants to help, then that is what we will let her do…_after _we find out what this is all about. I have a good idea of what this recent attack hints at; something that we've known has been coming for a long time."

The room went quiet, and Hitsugaya raised his head slightly.

"The Arrancar war."  
Ichigo suddenly let out a lengthy, long-suffering groan. "Just when I thought things were starting to settle down, here we have to go off fighting a war in that freak-hole Soul Society!"

Six pairs of eyes were suddenly turned on him in dark glares. Uryu shook his head as he saw sweat beads pop up onto Ichigo's forehead; the strawberry really should have known better.

"Uh…not that there's anything wrong with Soul Society, of course," Ichigo said with a weak laugh. "So…when do we leave?"

"As soon as possible," Hitsugaya replied tartly, still sour over Ichigo's recent statement. "Are you able to contact your other friend, the one with the shield-arm?"

"Chad," Rukia said. "Yes, sir. We should be able to get in contact with him right away."

"Before we leave, I want to say goodbye to my family," Ichigo interrupted. His normally severe expression had softened minimally, and his voice was quieter than it usually was.

"I might not see them for a long time, and…well, I want to say goodbye."

Hitsugaya nodded slowly. "I can understand that. Very well, you can leave to see them, but we need to leave before two hours are up."

"I understand," Ichigo answered. "I'll be there and back before then."

"I'm coming with you," Rukia announced as he started for the door. The orange-haired shinigami representative stopped and stared down at her small form, his casual scowl there but with a hint of curiosity.

"Rukia?" he said. "Why do you want to come?"

"They're like my family, too. They let me stay with them, so naturally I want to thank them for their hospitality. Besides," she gave him something that was half grin, half smirk, lowering her eyelids at him mischievously. "You may not act like it, but you're a big softie. I'd better be there in case you start bawling and wake up the entire neighborhood."

Ichigo looked like he was going to protest, but Rukia's message got across, and he smiled thankfully at her.

"Thanks, Rukia."

Uryu sensed Orihime shift beside him and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She was wringing her hands, probably unconsciously, and her doe-like eyes were glued to Ichigo and Rukia as they conversed. Uryu could see her shaking; it was as light as the stirring of a strand of hair in the softest breeze, but it was still shaking. The hurt in her warm grey eyes told him everything he needed to know, and though he wanted nothing more than to hold her against him and still the pain that he knew she was suffering from as it tore apart her fragile heart, he made himself turn his gaze away from her.

She loved Kurosaki. Not him.

"…can contact Chad on the way there," Ichigo was saying. "We'll tell him to come here right away."

Hitsugaya nodded again, starting to get impatient. "If you're going to go, then go!" he snapped. "I said we don't have much time."

Ichigo opened his mouth wide, probably to insult or retort back to the short captain, but Rukia placed a tiny hand on the small of his back (which was nearly as high as she could reach) and pushed him towards the door.

"Well, Ichigo, we have to go now," she said in a pointed tone. "Come on, _move_!"

The orange-haired teen allowed himself to be propelled out of the small apartment and into the cold night, and Rukia shut the door behind them as they left.

Matsumoto suddenly let out a loud yawn, stretching her slender arms languidly in the air in a way that made Uryu flush and turn away.

"As long as we're waiting…" the big-bosomed lieutenant said cheerfully, "Orihime-chan! Do you have any sake?"

Orihime looked surprised at first, then apologetic. "Sorry, Matsumoto-chan, but no…I'm underage."

"Hmph!" Matsumoto said, coming over to the honey-haired girl and putting an arm around her shoulder. "Underage here is underage over there in Soul Society, but I never cared!"

"Leave her alone, Matsumoto," Ikkaku said sourly.

Matsumoto glared at him. "Oh, like you never drank underage, baldy?"

"I am not bald!"

"You didn't object to the drinking statement."

Hitsugaya sighed tiredly and walked over to Yumichaka as the two began to bicker with Orihime quickly growing stressed between them. "Contact Soul Society," he said. "Tell them we're coming back as soon as our three missing members return."

Yumichaka nodded seriously. "Alright."

With all attention off him, Uryu decided to go and retrieve Yume from the kitchen. He'd nearly made it before a cold voice stopped him.

"Quincy."

The dark-haired teenager turned to see Hitsugaya standing a short distance away, his emerald-green eyes serious and only slightly curious. (A/N: Hey, that rhymed!)

"Do you know Yamazaki well?" the captain asked.

"I…guess you could say that," Uryu replied cautiously.

"She has strange eyes, doesn't she?"

Uryu blinked at the short shinigami. "I…yes, I guess she does."

"Turquoise-blue, aren't they?"

"Yes…"

Hitsugaya only nodded, and Uryu frowned at him. "Why?"

"Because for a moment when she was reciting her bankai, just before we interrupted…I thought they were green."

Uryu raised his eyebrows questioningly and opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment Yume's head popped around the corner of the kitchen wall.

"Eh?" she said when she saw everyone talking loudly. "Does this mean I can come out now?"

"Yes, Yamazaki-san," Uryu replied.

Yume grinned — her usual energy seemed to have returned to her. "Awesome. …Oh! I just had the greatest idea!"

She disappeared back into the kitchen for a moment, then bopped back into view. The bright-eyed girl grinned semi-viciously. "Hey, shinigamis," she said loudly, drawing everyone's attention over to her.

Yume held up her and Orihime's monstrously blue cake with a flourish, grinning from ear-to-ear. It looked like she had entertained herself during the time she'd been in the kitchen by decorating the baked good with Orihime's chosen condiments.

"Who likes cake?!"

* * *

A/N: Next chapter, we're finally in Soul Society! Yes! IT'S ABOUT TIME, DON'T YOU THINK? Sorry for the abuse of Caps Lock, I couldn't resist! Can't wait till DiamondDust Rebellion comes out...I lurvs cuddly Toshirou. Maybe I shall force him to do my disclaimer in da next chapter! 

Until then, chao!!


	7. Seven: An Early Morning Walk

This chapter is freakishly long...so...Soul Society Time! I know you haven't seen Yume's promised powers that were announced in the summary, but you'll see them soon..._very_ soon. So be patient with me! God, you need a plot before you go rushing headlong into things. So hmph. And alright I've decided to have some IchiRuki in my fanfic, if only some. But that might change later, probably become more.

I watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" yesterday. It really makes a person grateful for the fact that they're not green.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Disclaimer! I know exactly which victim to pick...Toshirou Hitsugaya!

Me: Squee! I loves you, Toshirou-kun! You're so ADORABLE! Squee! Squee! Squee!

(After about seven hundred 'squee's, Toshirou gets tired of my fangirlishness)

Hitsugaya: Alright, stop! I just came here to disclaim your story, I don't need you 'squee-ing' all over me.

Me: Okay, Toshirou-kun. You may continue. Can I can you Toto-kun?!

Hitsugaya: No! Just let me disclaim your story already! ...Kimsa Ki-Lurria doesn't own Bleach, so yeah. Stop thinking she does, or whatever the reason is that she puts these weird disclaimer things before the story.

Me: But I love my disclaimers! They amuse me, especially when the people saying them suffer!

Hitsugaya: ...Uh, I'm taking it that you have a problem with torturing people?

Me: Yes, or that's what people tell me. I don't know, though, my shrink says it's nothing to worry about; he says what I _should _worry about is my increasing love of chainsaws...and dark alleys...and helpless victims in the dark alleys with the chainsaws...

Hitsugaya: O.O

Me: Hahahahaha! Just kidding! You're so gullible, Toto-kun!

Hitsugaya: Sh-shut up...

* * *

Seven

An Early Morning Walk

Rukia flipped her cell phone shut just as they arrived at Ichigo's house, slipping it inside her pocket after hanging up.

"Chad's on his way to Inoue-chan's house," she said. "He should be there before we get back."

Ichigo didn't reply; he was too busy staring up at the dark shadow that was his home. His expression was unreadable, too much of a mix of emotions to be describable. Rukia stared at him silently, her violet eyes thoughtful.

"Come on," she said, putting a small hand on his arm, "let's go inside."

No one was awake. And no one should have been considering how late it was. But somehow, that fact still made Ichigo feel depressed and immensely disappointed as he tried to silently open the door to his house. He _wanted _someone to be awake. He _wanted _Yuzu to come stumbling sleepily out of her room, rubbing the dreams of her slumber from her eyes as she wondered why the front door was open when no one was there. He wanted his father and Karin to see him and ask him where he was going, and when they got their answer, to restrain him from leaving.

But that wouldn't happen. No one was awake, and no one was going to come out of their room in the near-middle of the night to console him.

No one was awake.

"Ichigo," he heard Rukia say softly. He turned to look at her, her tiny form outlined by the moonlight, creating a soft halo around her body. She stared up at him with those huge eyes of hers, her eyebrows slanted and drawn close together in concern and understanding. She knew what he was feeling.

Ichigo smiled mirthlessly. "We won't stay long."

He made his way up the stairs, to Yuzu and Karin's room. Peering in on them, Ichigo watched them sleep for a moment. They weren't small children; in fact they were nearing their teen years, but they still seemed impossibly tiny and fragile to him as they slept with the moon's dead light bathing their bodies.

Ichigo smirked; Karin would've hit him for thinking that she was "fragile."

He sensed Rukia's presence behind him and turned, brushing past her to his room. He didn't need her sympathy, and besides, he couldn't spend any more time here; Hitsugaya had only given him a limited amount of time to say goodbye. Once he reached his room, the first thing he noticed was Kon, stretched out on his bed and snoring with his mouth wide open. Ichigo wrinkled his nose and saw Rukia smirk and shake her head as she entered the room, folding her slim arms.

"Eh, Kon," she said.

Kon must've had as much skill in hearing as he did in jumping, because he jerked awake as soon as Rukia said "eh."

"Wha? Whozzat?" he slurred. "Nee-san, where'd you go? Things were just getting juicy..."

"Kon!" Rukia shouted at the modified soul, her face red. "You're lucky you're in Ichigo's form right now or I'd...!"

"Neh?!" Kon leapt off the bed and began to panic as he saw his nee-san's furious expression and Ichigo's ticked-off one. "N-nee-san!" he said nervously, "Did...did you hear me say that?"

"Yeah, and we're trying to forget about it," Ichigo replied sourly. "Listen Kon, I have something to tell you."

Kon hastily held up his hands, waving them back and forth. "No, no, if you're going to beat me up then let me know, 'cuz I'll run...!"

"We have to leave again."

Kon blinked and stopped, frowning lightly. "Hold on..." he said. "...Come again?"

Ichigo sighed and rolled his eyes. "The war with Aizen is starting and me and Rukia have to go down to Soul Society to help fend off the freak-Arrancars. Got it?"

"So you're leaving, and you don't know when you're getting back?" Kon asked.

"Yeah, so I kind of need you to watch out for my family and take care of my body," Ichigo said. He scratched his head, grimacing awkwardly. "Don't do anything crazy or go peeping on girls, okay?"

Kon smiled. "I'll try."

"Thanks," Ichigo said. "...I think."

Rukia smiled at the modified soul, folding her arms again. "Yeah, thanks Kon."

Kon grinned and walked over to her, enveloping her in a smothering hug. "Nee-san thanked me!" he announced proudly.

Ichigo felt anger spike in his veins as his face grew hot, and he walked over and elbowed Kon in the face, pushing him away from Rukia. For some reason seeing someone, especially Kon, hug Rukia made him unbearably angry.

"Oi!" He said angrily, "Get away from her!"

"Ichigo."

Ichigo spun around to face the door, where the deep voice had sounded. He saw his father standing there, leaning against the doorframe with his thick arms folded across his chest.

"Better watch how loud you get," Isshin said. "You don't want to wake Yuzu and Karin up."

Ichigo blinked, his expression sombering. "Dad..."

Isshin straightened. His face was unusually serious. "Ichigo, you're leaving?"

"Yes. The war is starting, Dad. I've got to go help Soul Society," Ichigo said. "So, I...uh..."

"Came to say goodbye," Isshin finished.

"Well...yeah."

Isshin came over and placed his big hands on his son's shoulders, smiling grimly into Ichigo's startled face. "I'm proud of you, son," he said after a pause. "I want you to know that. It's good to know that you're going to help. I know you'll be fine, and when you see Aizen, well..."

He grinned coarsely. "Give 'im a kick in the ass for me, eh?"

Ichigo smiled.

"Yeah, Dad," he said. "I'll remember to do that."

A minute later, two black-clad figures were darting away into the moonlight, leaping over the shadowed rooftops as swiftly as their sandaled feet would allow them. Isshin and Kon watched from Ichigo's bedroom window as they jumped like hellish crickets over the houses of Karakura, following them with their eyes until they vanished into the dark, cold night.

Kon waited a moment before speaking up. "You really think they'll be alright?" he asked.

Isshin smiled again, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Yeah," he said. His eyes studied the black sky, taking in the dark expanse dotted with pinpricks of light that were like tiny forms of hope glittering amongst the greatest shadow of the world.

"Yeah, they'll be fine."

* * *

Yume, once she stepped foot inside Soul Society, could _not_ keep quiet. 

She kept _ooh_ing and _aah_ing, and Uryu's patience had just reached its end when Hitsugaya sharply requested that she keep quiet and reminded her that she was not the only person inside Soul Society, and the world's entire population did not need to be woken up at eleven o'clock at night.

That shut her up…for about five minutes.

They had taken the nicer of the possible ways into Soul Society, through the gate that Rukia had taken when Byakuya and Renji had escorted her back to the Seretei, so the trip was relatively short. What had really sparked Yume's interest was their arrival in Soul Society, or the Seretei, specifically.

"There are thirteen divisions in here?" Yume asked Hitsugaya. The snowy-haired captain nodded. He looked slightly green, no doubt from the fact that he had actually been one of the brave few to try Yume and Orihime's cake.

"There are thirteen that make up the Gotei, and then outside of the Seretei is the Rukongai District, where the non-soul reapers reside. You will be staying with Orihime Inoue and Rukia Kuchiki in Matsumoto's room, since there is space available."

"What's that? I have to share my room?" Matsumoto squawked from the back of the group.

"With Inoue and Yamazaki and Kuchiki, Matsumoto, don't worry," Hitsugaya called back to her. He groaned and grasped his stomach with both arms, grimacing horribly as his bowels made several disturbing squelching noises.

"God, what did you put in that cake, Yamazaki?" he moaned.

Yume adopted a thoughtful expression and put one finger to her lips. "Well…I can't really remember. Orihime and I just kind of went crazy with the recipe, and even if I did remember all of the ingredients, I couldn't tell you; a baker never tells their secrets."

Hitsugaya gagged, and Yume looked over at him. "Hey, Snowy, you look kind of sick…did you eat something weird before we came here?"

"Oh, I wonder," the snowy-haired captain muttered. "I wonder."

Matsumoto laughed. "That's what you get for eating that thing! I told you to stay away from it, but did you listen to me? Nooooo."

"Matsumoto, you were the one who forced me to eat it."

"…Oh. Never mind, then." The big-bosomed lieutenant left her suffering captain for Orihime, patting the honey-haired girl on one shoulder. "So you'll be staying in my room, eh Inoue-chan? We'll have a great time!"

She sauntered away to poke fun at Hitsugaya's misery, and Uryu found himself edging over to Orihime's side. "Don't let her poison you with sake, please," he muttered, and Orihime giggled.

"No, Ishida-kun, I won't," she replied.

"Hey, if Inoue, Yamazaki, and Rukia are staying with Matsumoto, where will the rest of us stay?" Ichigo asked loudly from the back of the group.

"We'll find someplace for you," Hitsugaya replied dismissively as he led them farther into the Seretei, towards his own division. "If we can't, you can always just stay in a cell or something." His stomach squelched again, and he moaned. "Uuurrgghhh…"

"What the hell!" Ichigo yelled. "I'm not going to stay in a freaking cell —!"

"He was kidding," Rukia muttered to him, and Ichigo relaxed. The petite shinigami frowned at the air. "…I think."

"You _think_!" Ichigo exploded. Ikkaku hit him over the head with his zanpakutou.

"Shut up, Ichigo," he snapped. "You're making more noise than Yamazaki!"

"My cake was good, you say?" Yume asked, turning around at the sound of her name.

No one decided to comment on just how _wrong _her comment was, and followed Hitsugaya silently the remainder of the way.

Uryu found that he, Ichigo, and Chad were to temporarily stay in Hitsugaya's division while the others went off into their own squads' territories. The Quincy looked after Orihime as she left with Yume for Matsumoto's room, and she turned around at the last minute before she entered the building and disappeared from his sight, giving him a small wave. He returned the gesture, but he did not know if she saw it because she turned away at that moment.

He breathed a soft sigh and turned around to find Ichigo staring at him.

"What?" he asked tartly. Ichigo shook his head.

"I wonder how long it's going to take you," he muttered. "It's getting annoying with all this waiting."

"What waiting?" Uryu demanded, but the orange-haired teenager just shook his head again and said goodbye to Rukia before walking towards the house they would be staying in. Ichigo even tried to wave half heartedly to Hitsugaya, but the short captain was sprinting for his room, or rather, his bathroom, judging by the color his face had turned.

Uryu followed Ichigo at a hurried pace, trying to catch up. Chad followed silently behind.

"Kurosaki, what waiting? What are you talking about? Kurosaki!"

* * *

The sun rose early the next day, peaking up over the horizon at a little bit before seven o'clock in the morning and spreading soft yellow rays across the sleeping Soul Society. 

Yume was up before the sun's light kissed the land awake, standing quietly on top of a rooftop and staring out onto the Seretei in the shadows of lightless pre-dawn. She was dressed in a shinigami's typical outfit of a simple shihakushou, but she added a touch to the uniform with her bells hanging from her neck on the black satin ribbon. Her nameless zanpakutou was tied to her side by a white sash. She had to touch its cold hilt to make sure that it was real.

She had gone to sleep quickly and had woken up early, as was an unusual habit of hers. Yume did not find it unusual at all; she loved to watch the sunrise and detested waking up to find that half of the day was gone already. The black-haired girl had stretched to relieve her sore muscles, and then, when she was sure that no one was awake to see what she was going to do, she slipped easily out of her body and into her "shinigami form." She then tucked her body under the blankets just as if she was really sleeping there, and went outside.

So now here she was, standing up on the rooftop of her borrowed sleeping place, shivering silently as a cold air blew straight through her uniform.

_These things don't do much to keep you warm, _she thought sourly as she rubbed her cold arms. Yume's eyes moved to the horizon as the sun began to come up, and a small smile appeared on her face as she watched the bright yellow orb turn the clouds orange-pink.

Something stirred in the back of her mind like a hidden thought, making Yume's smile become curious.

_Oh? _She thought. _You want out?_

_Yes, please._

Yume let her eyelids fall shut and held the bell marked with the letter "Z" in her delicate fingertips, taking a deep breath.

"Zazie," she said clearly, and rang the bell.

Its ring soared out pure and flawless in the air, but it had a sense of sorrow to it that brought bitterness welling up in Yume's throat. She opened her eyes, and when she did, anyone would have seen that her pupils were now a bright purple instead of turquoise.

Yume smiled and stretched like a cat, giving a soft yawn as she did so.

_Thank you, _she thought quietly.

_You're welcome, Zazie._

Zazie, as Yume called her, looked out onto the awakening world and smiled. "It's been such a long time since I've been out," she murmured softly. "About what happened last night, the things you said...you haven't really forgotten about Soul Society or anything of our past that is tied to it, have you, Yume?"

_…No. I only said what I did because I can't let them know the truth. It'd destroy them, you know? It's better that I keep some things to myself._

"I thought so." Zazie sighed, looking up into the sky as a dark thought crossed her mind. "…We can't stop him, can we?"

_…We can only hope. Now take your walk like you wanted to, and let me back in my body. I think Hitsugaya is going to want to put me in a division soon and I don't think he'll be happy if I'm missing._

"Okay."

Zazie's legs tightened and crouched beneath her in a fluid movement. They held nervous, pent up energy inside them, and like a coiled spring let loose, Zazie leapt up into the air towards the other rooftops around Hitsugaya's division. She landed delicately on one and then leapt to another, crossing the distance as easily as one breathed air. The cold air whistled through her hair as gravity slowly pulled her closer to the rooftops after a particularly high leap, and the girl closed her eyes in ecstasy. She hadn't been free like this in such a long time…with the Hollow around, it was too dangerous.

Zazie banished the thought from her mind and opened her eyes again as she felt the hard tiles of a rooftop beneath her sandals, leaping further into the air the moment she landed. She continued through the Seretei towards what she did not realize was the twelfth division, as it was only two territories down from Hitsugaya's tenth, and a large building caught her eye.

_Mayuri, _she thought as she realized where she was, and a tiny grimace crossed her face. Zazie landed on a rooftop a short way from the twelfth division, looking about as Soul Society started to stir awake.

_Yume. _Zazie looked up into the barely pink-blue sky, just recovering from having the sun light up its expanse. _I think I'll go back now. _

_Does he really scare you so much? _A cold voice asked in the back of Zazie's mind, and the girl frowned. It was not Yume's voice, but their body's other occupant.

"…I don't like him," Zazie said quietly. "He…he's bad."

_Noooo, you don't say, especially after what we observed while studying him?_

_Leave her alone, Setsuna. _Now Yume's voice joined in the conversation, soothing and just as airy but with a hint of motherly protection for Zazie. _I feel the same way; Mayuri-kun is a boogie man! _

Zazie let out a light giggle at Yume's brashness; the girl might say she feared the twelfth-division captain, but she certainly did not act like it.

_Zazie, _Yume spoke up, _err...you wanna ring my bell?_

"Oh, yes!" Zazie gripped the middle bell tightly in her pale hand, closed her eyes, and said Yume's name. She rang the bell, and for the second time that day a note soared out into the air. This one had a different quality to it than the first one; where Zazie's bell had a shy, sad tone, this bell's note was clear and pure, completely clean of any unwanted attributes in it and full of joy and cheerfulness.

Yume opened her eyes, her turquoise-blue eyes, and smiled as she looked down into the twelfth division.

"We've all got to conquer our fears sooner or later. Let's pay a vist to our old friend…shall we?"

* * *

_"Ishida-kun!"_

Uryu had woken up feeling well rested and content with life as it was, and he had just put on his clothes when he heard Orihime scream. He tore out of the room, leaving a bewildered Chad to stumble awake and a still-snoring Ichigo. His feet moved quickly over the wooden hallways as he sprinted next door and entered Orihime's room, his Quincy bow already summoned and ready for a fight.

Orihime was kneeling on the floor by Yume, who was still asleep, her hands covering her mouth in anxiety. Rukia, standing by the distraught girl's side, spun around at Uryu's appearance and regarded him solemnly. Matsumoto was just beginning to wake up from her couch and protested when she saw Uryu standing in the doorway beholding her in all her eight-hour-sleep beauty.

"Really! Can't you people ever _knock_?" she demanded, readjusting her uniform. It has slipped rather…revealingly during her sleep, and Uryu turned his gaze away from her with a red face.

"What's wrong, Inoue-san?" he asked calmly, as it seemed that nothing was immediately wrong. He could not see anything remotely threatening or dangerous around the room, so he dismissed his bow and frowned down at Orihime. What had been so urgent that she had screamed his name like that?

She turned around to look up at him, and he was surprised to find that she had tears in her eyes. "Yamazaki-chan…" she said softly. "I can't wake her up."

Uryu raised his eyebrows and walked over to the kneeling girl, peering over her shoulder at Yume. She was curled up in a comfortable position with her knees near her chest and her hands under her head, and it seemed to Uryu that she was simply sleeping peacefully…except for the fact that she wasn't breathing.

He knelt next to Orihime quickly, his heart pounding as he tentatively touched Yume's skin. It was cold.

"Damn…" he whispered. "I think she's…she's…"

"A gigai," Rukia interrupted coolly.

Uryu and Orihime both looked up at the short shinigami in confusion. "A gigai?" Uryu repeated. "Yamazaki-san doesn't have a gigai, just a body."

"Well, it's not exactly a gigai, you're right," Matsumoto spoke up from the couch. She rose to her feet and came over to them, bending down to straighten out Yume's prostrate body. "It's her body, but there's no soul inside. I guess it's like Ichigo's condition; he can go in and out of his body when he wants to, and always return to it if he wishes. Just like a gigai."

"But…if this is Yamazaki-chan's body and she's not in it, then where is she?" Orihime said in a wobbly voice, still slightly shaky from her recent fear.

Matsumoto shrugged indifferently. "I don't know. Out for a walk, exploring Soul Society…creating mischief. I have no idea where she would have gone."

She got up with a great sigh. "What I _do_ know, though, is that if I don't get to work on my paperwork soon, Toshirou is going to burn my year's supply of sake…and I don't know what I'd do without sake."

Matsumoto left without another word, and Uryu got to his feet with a sigh. "Well, I guess we should look for Yamazaki-san, then," he said tiredly.

"I've got some business to do," Rukia announced. "I'll catch up with you later. Let me know if you two find her."

Orihime nodded silently from her spot on the floor, and the petite shinigami raised her eyebrows briefly at the honey-haired girl's silence before shrugging and slipping out of the room.

"Are you ready to find Yamazaki-san, Inoue-san?" Uryu asked.

"How can we look for her?" Orihime asked from the floor. She was still staring at Yume's unresponsive body. "We don't know where she could have gone."

"That's easy, we just look for the spot where there is most chaos going on," Uryu answered. "With Yamazaki-san in an uptight place like Soul Society, I'm surprised there isn't already someone like Byakuya drawing his zanpakutou."

Orihime did not respond. Uryu looked down at her for a moment, taking in the sight of her still turned away from him. He frowned.

"Inoue-san…?"  
Her shoulders began to shake, only a little bit at first, and then as if someone was taking her and thrashing her body in a fury. Uryu listened to her sobs in complete and total shock for a minute — then, he knelt by her side.

"Inoue-san," he said. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"  
Orihime shook her head, hiccupping quietly as she struggled to stem the tears flowing from her eyes. "It's all of this," she gasped. "I thought maybe we'd get to have at least a little bit of peace for once, even with winter war so close. I thought…maybe they wouldn't need us to participate in the war and we wouldn't have to get swept up in all of this Soul Society business again. I thought I'd get to spend some time with you and everyone else, get to know Yamazaki-chan a little bit more, and see Tatsuki…because I haven't spent any time with her at all after Hueco Mundo…"

Uryu felt a soft sigh building up in his chest, but it was not out of annoyance at Orihime. He waited for her sobs to fade a bit more before speaking up.

"I know, Inoue-san," he said quietly. "I know how you feel. I, too, wanted to maybe settle down for a little bit…take a break from all of this excitement. But we're involved…we're involved, and we can't back out now. If Soul Society needs our help, then we have to respond. We can't just ignore their problems because later on, either way whether they win or lose, it's going to affect the real world too. We'll manage, Inoue-san..." he paused, taking a short breath to brace himself.

"E...especially you. You're strong, even though you always say that you're not. True, you don't have great physical strength, but what you have is more important, more meaningful than any strength any of us have. It is that strength that will get you through this alright…and if you need help, I'll be here to lend you a hand."

Orihime had fallen silent somewhere near the middle of his short speech. Her sobs had subsided, her shoulders had stopped shaking…and now she turned to look up at him with a tiny, sad smile on her face.

_Thank you, Ishida-kun, _her smile said.

Uryu coughed awkwardly and got to his feet again, offering her a hand to help her up. Orihime stared at it for a second, and he thought she was going to decline — but then she put her soft hand in his and let him help her to her feet.

"Besides," Uryu said, trying to pick up the thread of topic to avoid further embarrassment, "we don't know really know if they'll need us the entire length of the war. They might dismiss us somewhere in the middle of it, and they'll be able to stand on their own."

Orihime nodded determinedly and wiped furiously at her eyes to dry them. "R-right! It doesn't have to be really long…and even if it is, it's like you said; we'll get through it. We'll all help each other."

Uryu smiled gently at her. "_That's_ the Inoue-san I know."

Orihime beamed.

Uryu coughed again and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Now, let's go see what we can find to eat," he said. "I don't know where we can find it but if we look around, then I'm sure we can…"

"Oh, I know where!" Orihime said brightly. She started for the door, tugging his sleeve to drag him behind her. "Unohana-san always has something stored up for people that need to be healed, so I'm sure she'll let us have some. And if she doesn't want to, we can go visit Ukitake-san! He always has candy, so maybe we'll have that for breakfast…I wonder if he has any turkey to go with it. Probably not. But if we get some candy, maybe we could use it to bait Yamazaki-chan! Yeah, that's a great idea! She likes sugar…maybe she'll fall for our trap!"

Uryu let Orihime drag him further into the Seretei towards the fourth division, listening to her happy chatter in contentment. It comforted him to know that she was back to being her old self. He was still shaky, though; he couldn't believe he'd spouted so much about her being strong and all, and had told her that he'd be there for her, but she had accepted it gratefully and that was all he needed to lift his spirits.

_Now, if only I can get her away from the idea of having candy for breakfast…_

* * *

"Nemu! Stop slacking off on that document, you lazy cow!" 

Nemu had been working quickly, but apparently not quickly enough for her captain and father, Mayuri Kurotsuchi. She merely nodded and said meekly, "Yes, sir," before accelerating the pace at which she was typing on the large computer she faced.

Mayuri glared at her back as he thumbed through his computer disks and returned his gaze to them, grumbling under his breath. Why couldn't the girl just work as quickly as he wanted her to? Had he designed her wrong? First the numerous slack-offs (or at least they were slack-offs in his view. From someone else's point of view, the rate he wanted her to work was considered child abuse), then the sparing of the Quincy boy's life, and now this. Maybe he needed to work out some of her faults…

The ghoul-like captain snorted and shook his head briefly. Later. He'd attend to her later. But right now…his precious research was waiting for him.

"Oooooooooohhhhhh."

Mayuri swung around, nearly crushing the delicate disks in his hand as he turned to see Yume standing in the open doorway to the room. She was standing with her hands clasped behind her back and her mouth in an "o" again, her eyes wide as her gaze roved over the gadget-filled room.

"This is some high-tech place you got here, Kurotsuchi-kun," she said appreciatively. Her brightly-colored eyes flicked to his yellow-orange ones. "It was impressive last time I was here, but I see you updated it a bit."

Yume grinned toothily. "It's been a while, eh? Didja miss me, Kurotsuchi-kun?"

Mayuri narrowed his eyes, his mouth widening grotesquely, and this time the disks did shatter in his white-knuckled grip.

"What the hell are _you _doing here…?"

* * *

A/N: This is the longest chapter I've ever written. Honestly, I was skimming over it and was like, wow. But oh well...I know you all love longer chapters than shorter ones, it makes the wait in between them worth it. Especially since this is another cliff-hanger...heheh, I know you all love them. P.S. Sorry if the Ichigo-goodbye scene was short or corny, I just needed to put it in there. Don't hate me for it...and if you didn't get the whole Zazie-Yume-Setsuna thing, you're not supposed to just yet. You'll understand later on in the story! And Orihime really did need that pep talk...I think the saddest people in the world are the ones that act the happiest...them, and clowns. 

If I give you a virtual candy cane will you review?

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good cliffhanger!


	8. Eight: How to Politely Introduce Oneself

I'm sorry the last chapter was a cliffy, I couldn't resist! I have started 2008 off with a wonderful bout of procrastination...so those of you who didn't, consider yourselves lucky.

Me: Oh, uh...disclaimer time! Hmm. I don't know who has disclaimed my story so far...I need a list. -throws head back and bellows- Gunther-kun!!

Gunther: Yes, Kimsa Ki-Lurria?

Me: I need a list of the people that have disclaimed The Ivory Deity so far. Oh, and peoples of this-website-whose-name-I-suspiciously-cannot-type-down, this is my assistant, Gunther-kun!

Gunther: It's a pleasure to meet you.

Me: You can tell he's a pushover, huh?

Gunther: Kimsa...

Me: Gimme the list already!!!

Gunther: Alright, alright. Let's see...the people that have disclaimed your story so far are Byakuya, Ishida, Kurotsuchi, Yumichaka, Renji, Gin, and Toshirou.

Me: Toshirou? SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!

Gunther: Oh, God...

Me: Huh, so seven people have disclaimed so far. _Dang_, I have a lot more people to cover...eh, I don't feel like picking on some anime/manga character today. Gunther-kun, you disclaim my story!

Gunther: Nani?!

Me: Shut up and stop trying to be Asian! I imagine you to be a Tim Gunn look-alike.

Gunther: Okay...so I'm Gunther Gunn?

Me: ...Yeah! That's a great name! Disclaim my story, Gunther Gunn-kun!

Gunther: Er...okay. Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach...and I think she took too many happy pills this morning.

Me: -grins and holds up THREE empty happy-pill bottles-

Gunther: -heaves a huge sigh- I thought so...

_As you can tell, I was totally lazy when it came to this disclaimer and completely made Gunther Gunn up on a whimsical impulse. That'd be awesome if I really had an assistant Tim Gunn look-alike, though! But then again, who says I don't have one...? Gunther-kun is my present for 2008! Here, you can all have one!_ -gives all REVIEWERS Gunther-kuns-

Get my point?

* * *

Eight

How to Politely Introduce Oneself to Byakuya Kuchiki

"Oi, Byakuya! What's up?"

Byakuya gave a heaving, mental sigh as he heard Ichigo's voice call out from behind him and slowly turned around on the outside-hallway bordering his division. He was not feeling well at all, probably due to his lack of sleep the previous night, and every loud noise he heard rang painfully in his head, as if it was bouncing off the insides of his skull.

"Do you _have_ to yell so loudly, Kurosaki?" he asked irritably.

Ichigo stopped a few feet away with a confused expression on his face. "What's with you?" he asked. "Got a hangover or something?"

Byakuya barely kept his mouth from tightening in irritation. "No," he said coldly. "I do not drink. Such indulgences are unhealthy and degrading."

"I know several people that would disagree with that claim," Ichigo said. "Your lieutenant being one of them."

"What about me?" Renji's voice yelled, and the red-haired shinigami turned around the corner into view with a ticked-off expression on his tattooed face. "Did you say I have a drinking problem, punk?"

"Well, yeah, but I can say it louder if you want," Ichigo replied snidely.

"I'm not an alcoholic — you want someone with a drinking problem, go talk to Matsumoto."

"Denial!" Ichigo sneered. "The red-haired pineapple-head is in denial!"

A vein jumped dangerously high in Renji's forehead, and that familiar pissed, crazy grin appeared on his face. "What was that, Kurosaki? You want to get your butt whipped?"

"By a wussy with a hairy baboon as his spirit power's form? Hah!" Ichigo folded his arms cockily and jutted his chin out. "Don't make me laugh!"

"Butcher-knife swinging bastard!"

"Loudmouth tattooed freak!"

The pair each attacked each other with their arms, thankfully not zanpakutous, and thus began a wrestling match. Byakuya watched emotionlessly for a second, then silently turned and walked away, leaving them behind. His head hurt and he was tired from the lack of a good night's sleep; anyone that looked hard enough would have seen the dark circles under his eyes, just barely noticeable on his pale skin.

Byakuya sighed, literally this time, and stopped walking, closing his eyes and breathing in slowly for a moment. Instant and unwanted, a jumbled collage of pictures rushed into his mind's eye, all of them from the dreams he'd had for the past four months…particularly the one he'd had the previous night.

The sixth division captain opened his eyes again and took another calming breath before continuing on through his division. He did not have any particular destination; he just felt like taking a walk to clear his mind and get away from the nightmares that he did not know were soon to seek him out…and find him.

* * *

"Who are you?" Mayuri demanded. "How did you get in here without being stopped?" 

Yume stuck her lower lip out in a cute pout. "You don't remember me, Kurotsuchi-kun?"

"I've never seen you before in my life! And if you think you'll live much longer after calling me such a ridiculous name, think again."

"I can't call you Kurotsuchi-kun anymore?"

"You never could!" Mayuri was practically foaming at the mouth by now with anger. He placed the broken remains of his computer disks on the counter beside him with a mental grimace. The information on them had not been imperative, but their loss was indeed a minor irritation.

"Who are you?" he demanded again. "What squad are you from? I'll have your captain's head…my, how discipline has slipped these days…"

"I'm not from a squad!" Yume declared proudly, throwing her arms up in the air in glee. "I'm a rogue!"

Mayuri stared at her incredulously. _The child's deranged! First she comes barging into my personal research room like she owns the place, then she calls me…Kurotsuchi-_kun…_and now she's claiming that she's not from a division? _

While Mayuri silently fumed over her appearance, Yume turned to look over the silent Nemu, who had barely showed any surprise at her arrival.

"Hey, Nemu-chan!" Yume said brightly. "What's been going on in this torture chamber since I last visited, huh?"

Nemu stared at her uncertainly and slowly lowered her gaze to the floor. "Uhh…I'm sorry, I don't know you and I think you're confused," she said quietly. "But Kurotsuchi-sama seems to be very upset…perhaps it would be best if you left now."

Mayuri seemed to regain some semblance of self-control and smirked at Yume. "She's right, you know," he said smugly. "I can be very…threatening when I get angry. How about you get out of my division this instant, go see a mental institute to get some help, and I'll try to forget this ever happened, eh?"

"Hmm," Yume said with a furrowed brow. A slow smile bloomed into life over her face, and she tilted her head at Mayuri. "Okay, Kurotsuchi-kun!" she said airily.

Mayuri's eyes widened in outrage at the familiar term and he reached for his zanpakutou without thought, letting fury guide his actions. _"Ignorant wench, I told you to stop calling me that! Rip, Ashisogi Jizou!"_

Yume raised her eyebrows at him as Mayuri's deformed-trident blade sliced through the air towards her, an expression near contempt on her usually-cheerful face — and then she was gone.

Shock filled Mayuri's systems as he realized that the girl had shun-poed, and a look of almost comic confusion appeared on his face as he remained frozen in one place for a split second. Yume appeared next to Nemu, standing on top of the keyboards attached to the wall.

"Why do you always have to be so _mean_, Kuro-kun?" she asked innocently.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" Mayuri screamed in fury and swung his zanpakutou down where the girl was. Yume effortlessly shun-poed herself to safety again just before the blow fell on her, narrowing escaping death by Mayuri's blade. Ashisogi Jizou smashed into Mayuri's precious keyboards, and he screamed again in rage as sparks flew everywhere, forcing Nemu to back away for her safety.

Mayuri felt a light dab of pressure on his right shoulder, pressure that quickly grew until his shoulder threatened to overbalance him. He looked up to find Yume standing delicately on him right next to his head. She beamed down at him. "You might not remember me, Kurotsuchi-kun," she said in a friendly tone, "but I remember you! I remember a lot of things about you."

She shun-poed away for a final time, whisking herself out of his division before Mayuri had a chance to react to her sudden appearance. The twelfth division captain stood still for a moment as silence descended over the room, the quiet disturbed only by the snapping and spitting of the broken keyboard. But only for a moment.

"Nemu!" Mayuri snapped at his "daughter" after sheathing Ashisogi away. "Start repairing that keyboard! And if that girl comes back here again…kill her!"

"Yes, sir," Nemu replied quietly.

"I'm going to go find that girl," Mayuri snarled, more to himself than to Nemu. "I'm going to find her, and I'm going to kill her."

The hulking captain stormed out of the room without another word, his left eye twitching slightly in anger. His footsteps echoed heavily through the hallway as he stalked off in no particular direction, and Mayuri clenched his colorless hands into fists as he wandered in a rage about his division.

_What am I getting so worked up about, anyway? _He wondered. _Sure, the kid insulted me by addressing me on such a familiar term when we've never met before, but I should be more controlled to let something like this get me so upset. I resorted to releasing shikai on her…that's how angry she got me. But still — how _dare_ she talk to me so familiarly when I've never seen or heard of her before…? Never…seen…?_

Mayuri froze in his tracks, his hands unclenching and his yellow-orange eyes widening as something pricked him in the dark recesses of his memory. _I've seen her before. Not in person, but a picture of her…I remember it was filed as a document concerning a Hollow attack…it caught my attention, but I can't remember why. I_ have _seen her before…_

The ghoul-like captain shook his head and continued on through his division, roving in a random direction that just happened to lead to the sixth division. He would deal with that memory later. Right now, he wanted to find that girl. He wanted to find her…and find out what it was that struck him to be so familiar about her.

* * *

Yume couldn't keep it in any longer — she giggled. 

She was shun-po'ing over rooftops in random directions, still celebrating the fact that she had been able to tweak Mayuri's strings so much.

_It's so much fun to tease him! _She thought giddily. _I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoyed it…_

_What are you so happy about? _Setsuna asked in a corner of Yume's mind. _All you've managed to do is alert him to the fact that you're here, even if he doesn't remember who you are. That's not something to be happy about. It's something to _worry _about._

_Well, I agree with Yume, _Zazie suggested. _I think it is fun to tease Kurotsuchi-san too._

_Shut up, Zazie!_

_Yes, ma'am!_

For any other normal girl, having two separate entities having a conversation in the back of her mind would have driven her insane; unless she wasn't already convinced that she was crazy. Yume had gotten used to it, though.

"It's okay, Setsuna," she said flippantly as she neared the seventh division. "Even if Kurotsuchi-kun _does_ remember who I am and tries to make trouble over it, I can defend myself. Besides…that keyboard of his isn't going to work very well and let him into the document about me. Even if they do manage to fix it, when I landed on it I made sure to step on several very important keys. If he'd been paying attention to the screen, he would have seen that I blocked the document from his access."

_Clever, _Setsuna grumbled reluctantly, _but why didn't you delete it? There's still a chance that he could find it._

"I don't know how to delete it," Yume admitted. "Only Kurotsuchi-kun knows how to; and besides, I didn't have time. It would have taken a couple minutes, it's such a complex file."

_Huh!_ _I still say you shouldn't have shown yourself to him._

"That's okay, too, Setsuna. Sometimes you worry too much."

_I do _not.

_Sometimes you do, Setsuna…_

_Shut up, Zazie!__  
Yes ma'am!_

Yume suddenly burst out into a loud, off-key version of "Lollipop, lollipop," to drown out the commotion in her head, but it only added to the din. So perhaps that was why she didn't hear Byakuya's wandering footsteps as she entered the sixth division, and didn't notice him until she shun-poed right in front of him.

Byakuya nearly jerked back in surprise as she appeared, barely managing to keep his facial expression in check. It slipped a little though, and he felt his eyes widen a fraction. _This _was the girl from his nightmares; the girl that had been chased by the Hollow and had nearly been killed. The one with the ivory phoenix. His dark grey eyes moved to her hip, where her zanpakutou was tied to her waist by an ivory sash. There was the phoenix, engraved delicately into the zanpakutou's ivory-colored hilt, looking almost life-like to his dazed eyes. Was this a dream? A hallucination, caused by the half-awake state of his tired brain? This was impossible, right? It was just his nightmares come back to haunt him.

Yume stopped when she saw Byakuya and looked all the way up his tall form to stare up at his face, her turquoise-blue eyes startled as she took in his long black hair, the "hairclips" that announced his noble lineage, and the extremely expensive scarf resting snugly around his neck. He was wearing a captain's uniform, and it would have given his rank away to any idiot, but Yume didn't need to see it to know who he was.

_Byakuya Kuchiki._

Yume blinked as Setsuna spoke up in her head. _Setsuna? _

_Let me out. Let me out! It's Byakuya — it's Kuchiki! Byakuya Kuchiki, Byakuya Kuchiki, Byakuya Kuchiki—!_ She kept uttering the same name over and over like a broken record. A broken, frantic record.

"I _know_ it's Byakuya Kuchiki!" Yume whispered unconsciously. "What's wrong, Setsuna?"

Byakuya did jump this time, at the mention of his name. Could hallucinations talk? He thought so, but something told him this was not a hallucination created by his sleep-dazed mind. It _was_ her. She was here, alive…well, probably not alive, but she was _here_, in Soul Society. And she was…talking to herself?

Yume felt her hand move up towards her neck to grasp Setsuna's bell against her will, the bell she had not rung yet in Soul Society. She began to panic. _What's this? I don't want to ring Setsuna's bell! No — Setsuna, is this you doing this? Don't release yourself, Setsuna! What are you doing?!_

_Byakuya Kuchiki…must die._

_What?!!_

Yume rang the bell.

"Setsuna."

Turquoise-blue eyes burned violent green as the bell's note rang harshly into the air, filled with anger and cold edges and completely different from its two sister bells. Yume, or Setsuna as she now was, reached slowly for her zanpakutou and drew it without taking her eyes off Byakuya's startled, confused face.

_I'm sorry, Yume, _she apologized silently, _but this is something I have to do…for your own good._

_What are you doing, Setsuna? Let me out!_

Setsuna's blade began to glow with a dull, lifeless-looking light that was somewhere between cream and white, an ivory color of sorts — Byakuya was drawing his own zanpakutou now, completely in charge of his emotions again. This girl from his nightmares was going to attack him? Let. her. _try_.

"Byakuya Kuchiki." Setsuna said coldly.

"That is my name," Byakuya replied in his monotone voice.

Setsuna smirked viciously. "Well, let me introduce myself to you, as we have just now met. I have my own way of introducing myself, so pardon me if it's a bit rough."

Byakuya had always thought his emotions were in check, that shock nor anger nor even fear would ever trespass onto his face. Setsuna's next words proved him wrong on all three aspects.

"Scatter…Senbonzakura."

_To be continued…_

* * *

A/N: Yeah, go ahead and hate my guts for ending it there, but now you get to see some of that Yume-mimicking-shinigami-power I promised you! Or...it's not Yume but Setsuna, whose identity you'll find out along with Zazie's in the next chapter...I love the next chapter but it's very decisive, so a lot is riding on this. Meaning, I have no idea when I'll next be able to update. So sorry if it's a long wait, I've got to get caught up on it. 

In the meantime, those of you who read and haven't reviewed, specifically the people who've added my story to their Favorites/Alerts, _please_ review! Even a little constructive criticism would be nice; mind, it has to be CONSTRUCTIVE. If you don't have anything to criticize (constructively), then just a little heads up that you read would be nice. Just comments would be nice, too. Wah, I get sad when people don't review! So please take the time...it motivates me to hurry up writing the next chapters.

Happy New Years, everybody! It's 2008! Woo-hooo!


	9. Nine: Death Petal

Good morning, good morning, good morning to you...you look like a monkey and smell like one too...I wish I could say that to Yamamoto but I suppose Yume could do it for me...

I saw a horse the other day. It stared down its nose at me, so I fed it some apples. Then it tried to kill me. So sorry for the delay in getting this posted. (No, I wasn't hurt, there was a fence separating us, thank God...I just needed an excuse for my laziness...) This chapter is mainly just action or fighting, I guess, and I'm not really sure how I did; last time there was a fight, there was too much chaos to really see how I did on description and strategies/moves and all, so I kind of just...did as best as I could with this fight. X)

It is very hard to mesh together Ishihime and ByaOC and even a little bit of IchiRuki-ness and still keep a steady plot...so I apologize for the long wait. I am soooorrryyy! Plus I had finals and huge projects _during _finals, so MEH. Here's a HUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed, sent PMs or favorited or alerted my story...especially the new people. I have never dedicated a chapter before, so this one goes out to **Kita Kudai**, who has reviewed every chapter I have written...she is a very good friend. And dedication to **x6katana9x** as well (I hope I spelled that right), for HIS great review...it made me concentrate on the wonderfulness that is Ishihime. I promise there will be more of it. _Promise!_

Disclaimer is for Hanatarou today. Say it, Hana-chan!! Resistance is futile...(cliche, anyone?)

Hanatarou: Eerrr...u-uh...s-so many _people_...g-g-gaahh...-faints-

Me: He had stage fright. I still don't own Bleach...sadly. I know, a tragedy, ain't it? But if I did, Momo would die and I would laugh...and then people would hate me...

* * *

Nine

Death Petal

"**Scatter…Senbonzakura."**

Byakuya barely had time to react. He shoved aside the shock that nearly froze his limbs as Setsuna's blade vanished in a bout of pink sakura petals and shun-poed himself a foot away. At that exact moment the petals sliced through the air where he had just been, speeding so fast Byakuya could feel a slight push of air from them. Pain pricked at his cheek as one petal-blade found its mark and left a small cut, a bright red line contrasting sharply with his porcelain skin.

"I missed," Setsuna said disappointedly. She moved her zanpakutou's hilt to point in Byakuya's direction; he would have been faced with the blade if there was one.

"I won't miss this time."

Byakuya was still numb with confusion. How did this girl have his zanpakutou's power when he was holding Senbonzakura in his hand right at this moment? Her sword no longer looked like itself, either; it looked exactly like his should in shikai mode. It'd seemed to have changed its form at the exact moment the girl uttered the release command, though he hadn't been paying attention; the whole situation had made him feel like his brain had been freeze-dried and then heated up all at once.

That was all the time Setsuna gave him to think before she released something even worse than Byakuya's shikai — his bankai.

"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!" she cried out. The fake Senbonzakura fell from slender fingers to fall through the floor, creating ripples as surely as if it had been dropped in a pool of clear, pristine water. A wave of pink petal-blades suddenly burst into life in front of Setsuna and shot towards Byakuya. The sixth division captain shun-poed out of the way and the stream of petals struck the floor, clearly missing him. Setsuna's eyes grew wide as Byakuya reappeared behind her, ready for an attack of his own this time.

"Bankai — Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"

Setsuna ducked with inhuman speed and shun-poed to the right to avoid the stream of blades that erupted to her left, landing easily and pivoting to face the glacial-faced captain.

"Returning with an attack of your own, eh?" she taunted, vibrant green eyes wild. "You know, I can just match any attack you have with one of my own; I've taken your bankai."

"Senbonzakura is _my _zanpakutou," Byakuya said coldly. "I know it more than anyone ever could, and can control it more than you will ever manage to do. And you have not stolen Senbonzakura from me; yours is a fake, a mirror image of mine. I do not know how you can create another Senbonzakura, but I don't care and I don't need to find out in order to destroy you."

Setsuna scoffed at this, but Byakuya only narrowed his eyes intensely at her. "What are you?" he asked quietly. "What are you that you can create a double of my zanpakutou and know its properties?"  
The green-eyed shinigami gave him a huge smirk. "Tsk, tsk. 'What are you?' You say that as if I was some kind of monster or something. Hmph! I'm polite enough to introduce myself to you and you go rushing into a fight and calling me names. The noble houses of Seireitei must have fallen in moral value…"

That hit a nerve. You could yell, shout, poke, make fun of Byakuya's attitude or appearances and he would not erupt on you, but insult his house and lineage…oh, that was an entirely different matter.

Byakuya grit his teeth silently and raised one long-fingered hand above his head. Setsuna's smirk vanished as she realized that he was going to attack, and she got into a semi-crouched position, green eyes narrowed in anticipation.

Three streams of petal-blades burst into existence at exactly the same time, one moving in to kill, the other rising up to defend while a third rose up to attack. Byakuya's column of petals struck Setsuna's wall, and the sixth division captain shun-poed as the third stream grabbed for him. Setsuna spun, knowing that Byakuya would appear behind her, and he did as she predicted. He had to shun-po immediately after he reappeared unless he wanted to risk getting skewered by a stream of blades that Setsuna sent flying towards him, but he came away unscathed. Setsuna was forced to duck and leap into the air as Byakuya sent two more columns of petals hurtling towards her.

Setsuna growled and sent a blast rocketing towards Byakuya. He just managed to dodge the blow before it soared through the space he had been standing a moment earlier. The stream of sakura petal-blades sliced clean through one of the beams supporting the building attached to the outside hallway they were fighting on, making that side of the structure groan under strain.

The clicking of many blades rebounding off each other sounded like an overwhelming buzz in Setsuna's ears as Byakuya launched another attack at her back, and she back flipped into the air in his direction. She shot three short beams at the sixth division captain standing below her while still flipping in midair, forcing Byakuya to shun-po multiple times to avoid getting hit. Setsuna landed lightly on her feet and blocked an attack from Byakuya before returning it with several of her own at one time.

Byakuya dodged all of them, and one he ducked; that one soared straight over his head and down the hallway. At that moment, two figures decided to turn the corner. Ichigo and Renji both let out hoarse yells as they saw the column of pink blades that had almost hit Byakuya hurtling for their heads and ducked, clutching their hair and bending over like two boys caught doing something very naughty and waiting for their inevitable punishment.

Both quickly straightened and observed the scene, which was brought to a short pause at their arrival.

_Oops, there's Ichigo, _Setsuna thought in surprise. _Well, looks like you won't be able to keep this as a secret from your new friends, eh Yume?_

_Setsuna, I was just beginning to like them! _

Setsuna let out a loud bark of a laugh, throwing her head back briefly. "Come to watch the show, boys?" she called over to Ichigo and Renji. "You've come at a bad time; there's barely any left of it, seeing how I'm going to win soon."

"Why are you doing this, Yamazaki?" Ichigo yelled. "Why are you attacking Byakuya? And how do you have his zanpakutou's powers?"

"I've got my own reasons and explanations. You don't need to know them."

Setsuna's cold reply startled Ichigo into silence. With her attention off of him, Byakuya slowly raised a column of petal-blades into the air, rearing it up like a snake preparing to strike. Setsuna did not sense it in time, but Yume did.

_Setsuna, look out!_

The green-eyed girl did what anyone would have done: she turned around. Byakuya's column of sakura petals struck as swift as lightning, parting the air so quickly Setsuna barely had time to react. Yume's counterpart shun-poed herself out of the way, but not before getting nicked by several of the tiny blades on her shoulder. She landed on the roof of the building next to the one she had just been fighting on, scowling coldly down at Byakuya. He had drawn blood, if only a little; it was time to get serious.

_Setsuna, I felt that; please don't let my body get too hurt, _Yume pleaded as Byakuya shun-poed himself up to join Setsuna. _You know how I hate blood._

Setsuna smirked again as she and the shinigami captain exchanged blows and continued their fight, each dodging the petal-blades as efficiently as the other.

_I know, Yume. I know._

* * *

"Oh, I know, but we're hungry and we need food," Orihime pointed out to the unhelpful shinigami blocking their way into the fourth division.

Uryu refrained from rolling his eyes and pushing his way through. They had been arguing with the shinigami for the past five minutes, and it was beginning to wear away on his nerves.

He had managed to dissuade Orihime from eating candy and..._turkey_...for breakfast, and so the pair had headed here in search of more substantial, breakfast-like food. They had run into this short shinigami almost immediately at the border dividing the fourth and fifth divisions, and had been denied access. Uryu wasn't sure, but the last time he had been here, the fourth division had been the most helpful and kind squad in all the Gotei 13. Maybe this man was a new recruit, hired for the war; Uryu had never seen him before.

"I'm sorry, but we are not allowing anyone in at this time for safety measures," the shinigami was saying. "This is for purely war-related purposes." He squinted at them, narrowing his dark eyes suspiciously. "And call me crazy, but you two don't look like shinigami to me."

"No, we're not," Uryu agreed stoically, "but we are helping Soul Society in the upcoming war, so it would help us if you could just —"

"Unless you have proof, I can't let you in," the shinigami said stubbornly. Orihime tugged on Uryu's sleeve.

"Ishida-kun, maybe we should just leave…" she said softly.

Uryu scowled and opened his mouth, but at that moment the shinigami gasped and stared past them towards the roofs.

"What…what is that?!" he stuttered. Uryu whirled around, expecting to see something threatening, but all he could see was the roofs of Seretei stretching far around them.

"Where?" he asked tartly. "I can't see anything."

"Up there, Ishida-kun," Orihime breathed, pointing in the direction of the sixth division's territory. "It's on the roofs."

Uryu turned his gaze further along Seretei until he found what he judged to be the sixth division. There, he could see it now; bursts and streams of pink were arcing on one of the rooftops, spitting and gleaming into life by the second. If he was not mistaken, that was Byakuya Kuchiki's first stage of bankai.

"Come on, Inoue-san," he said, taking her hand and leading her towards the sixth division at a fast walk that evolved into a run. "We're going to have to forget about breakfast for now."

* * *

Mayuri saw the pink streams of petal-blades just before Uryu and Orihime did. He had just entered the ninth division when he heard people shouting around him as they stumbled out of the buildings in the area, clearly in a well-organized panic. 

"Intruder alert!" A voice rang out in the air, seeming to come from all directions at once. "Intruder in the sixth division!"  
"Sixth division?" Mayuri heard one shinigami yell to his partner as they ran past him, "Isn't that Kuchiki-taichou's division?"

"He should be able to handle the situation," his partner replied. "But still, I heard that the intruder is engaged in combat with him, and she's unlike anything anyone's ever seen. The person who called in and alerted us was babbling; it was like he couldn't talk right or something, he was so scared. Tsk, must be a rookie."

Mayuri frowned to himself as the shinigamis exited his hearing range and looked around him. He was receiving strange looks from the ninth division's members, but they probably dismissed his presence in their territory as nothing more than a sign he was going to help fight off the ryoka as well. That, or they were frightened into silence by a single glare from his malicious orange-gold eyes.

The twelfth division captain quickly shun-poed himself out of the foreign division, taking off in the direction of Byakuya's realm. If he peered up carefully onto the rooftops, he thought he could see Kuchiki's bankai writhing about against the cloudless sky.

Mayuri frowned and shun-poed himself faster, taking less time to do it. He soon entered the fourth division, arriving just after Orihime and Uryu left.

_So, the ryoka is female, neh? _He wondered curiously. _I wonder if it could be that little brat that came into my division and declared that I knew her. Hmm, well there's only one way to find out._

He had no idea just how _much_ he was going to find out.

* * *

"Gaaahhh!" Setsuna yelled angrily. A particularly large stream of sakura blades erupted from around her and launched itself at Byakuya, who neatly flash stepped himself out of the way. This only seemed to make the green-eyes counterpart of Yume even angrier. 

"Why — won't —you —die?!" she screamed, punctuating each word with a burst of blades in Byakuya's direction. He sidestepped all of them, except one, which managed to make a tiny nick on his cheek.

"Yamazaki!" Ichigo shouted from below them, his hand tightly gripping the hilt of Zangetsu. "Stop this or I'll have to draw my zanpakutou on you!"

"Just try it, bleach-head! I'll take you out before you can say 'strawberry!'" Setsuna taunted the orange-haired shinigami representative while keeping her eyes on Byakuya. She felt the boy's reiatsu immediately spike and grinned sadistically.

"Stand down, Kurosaki."

Both Setsuna and Ichigo were startled by Byakuya's sudden interruption. The sixth division captain looked incredibly menacing, with dark shadows suddenly drawn about his pale-skinned face and his grey-black eyes narrowed in determination as he stared coldly at Yume's counterpart.

"This fight is mine. I will win this on my own," he continued. Ichigo looked like he wanted to protest for a moment, but another look at Byakuya's expression and he closed his mouth.

"Fine."

Setsuna laughed and shook her head. "You should've taken the help, shinigami!" she jeered. "You're going to need it."

"I hate it when people talk too much," Byakuya returned. Setsuna's smirk faded, and her face twisted angrily with malice.

"Then shut up and let me beat you to a pulp!" she shouted. Another stream of sakura blades rose up and reared to strike the black-haired captain.

"Yamazaki-chan!"

Setsuna let out an exasperated groan and spun at the sound of Orihime's voice to see the orange-haired girl and Uryu run into view next to Ichigo and Renji, both panting as if they'd run a long distance. Uryu felt his eyes widen when he spotted Yume, or who he thought was Yume, standing on top of a rooftop engaged in a heated fight with Byakuya Kuchiki. Her eyes were cold, violent green, and he did not know why, but he instinctively felt that she was a different person entirely.

Yume's counterpart rolled her eyes and spat, "Enough with the interruptions already!"

Orihime screamed as the column of petal-blades turned in their direction and hurtled towards them. Uryu grabbed her and threw them out of the way, Renji and Ichigo darting out of the line of fire as well just before the stream tore into the wooden outdoor-hallway.

Setsuna turned back to Byakuya as he prepared to attack, momentarily losing interest in Yume's friends.

"Kurosaki!" Uryu shouted over to the orange-haired boy. He could feel Orihime trembling in his grip, her eyes glued disbelievingly to "Yume's" back as the raven-haired girl battled on with the sixth division captain. "What's going on? What is wrong with Yamazaki-san?"

Ichigo shook his head. "I don't know! Just the moment I got here, she was acting all weird, and —"

He did not get a chance to finish. At that moment, dozens of shinigami ran into view, pouring out from all directions at once as they came to apprehend the intruder. "Yume" dropped what she was doing and looked around wildly, seeming to be frightened for the first time since the beginning of the fight.

Uryu felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up at the appearance of a foul reiatsu. It was a familiar one, but not one he particularly _wanted _to be familiar with; it slid over his conscious like a creeping creature a child would expect to find under their bed, giving him a strong urge to shudder and cringe in revulsion. He turned slightly, knowing who he would see, and wasn't the least bit surprised as he spotted Mayuri Kurotsuchi standing on his far right, just on the edge of his vision. The twelfth division captain noticed him, of course; he'd probably sensed his reiatsu the moment he shun-poed into the area. Mayuri gave the Quincy a dry, disinterested glance, and Uryu felt himself stiffen. The captain smirked and turned away from him, shifting his attention to Yume and Byakuya. Uryu turned away as well, but reluctantly. He would never shake the feeling of unease that settled over him when he saw the man...thing.

Captain Hitsugaya had arrived at the scene and was standing at the base of the building Byakuya and Setsuna were on, frowning up at the pair.

"Yamazaki, stand down!" he barked. Setsuna gave him a cold glare, and he scowled. "_Now_! Don't make me use force to bring you down!"

Setsuna smirked and opened her mouth, but at that moment someone in the crowd shifted. Uryu saw her frosty green eyes move towards the source of the movement, and for one shocking moment, her gaze became panicked. The Quincy followed her gaze straight to Mayuri, who was staring up at her in a similar manner.

"Urggh," Setsuna grunted. Uryu blinked in confusion as he saw her hand shakily reach up to her neck, where she wore her treasured bells over her shinigami uniform. Her face contorted, and one could see that she was struggling against an unseen force.

"Y…" Setsuna gasped. "Y-Yume!"

She rang the middle bell, and a sound so pure it nearly brought tears to Uryu's eyes rang out into the air. Setsuna's eyes faded for a moment, then blazed alive with color — a bright, turquoise-blue color.

Yume let out a sharp, exhausted gasp and let her hand fall to her side. Her zanpakutou abandoned Senbonzakura's form and returned to its original, ivory-colored sleekness, no longer glowing with an unearthly light.

"Neh," she muttered. "I'm in trouble."

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's kind of boring, I had to cut the chapter in two because it was getting too long. So read on and leave a review on your way out...you may exchange it for an imaginary cookie of your choice... 

I have nothing against Mayuri. I've taken to adoring him actually...hey don't look at me weird, one) it doesn't matter if he's Ishida's arch enemy, I can love 'em both just as much, two) I love twisted maniacs, they're awesome, and three) he's SMEXY without that mask on!! Well, if you can ignore the whole no-ears thing...anyways, it's just that that whole foul-reiatsu-creepy-crawly-thing-under-your-bed seems like what his spiritual power would feel like to me. That is, if I _could_ sense reiatsu, which I can't, because...sniff...I wasn't born in mangaworld...darn you, Tite Kubo, for making the men of Bleach so addicting! You just gotta rub it in...See, more proof I'm not claiming to be him...ha ha, now you bored evil people can't sue me! I:D

Okay, I'm done; read on to the next chapter!

P.S. Are there any people who know or speak Japanese out there in the audience? If there are, could you tell me how to pronounce "ivory" in it; is it "Zouge" or "Aibori" or neither? And how do you say "Phoenix"? XD I know, I'm terrible...it would help if you could suggest something, though...I want Yume to shout stuff in Japanese, makes it seem more original...

Fun Fact of the Day: I learned what it means to get "laid" today! Hooray for loss of innocence!


	10. Ten: I Am Skinner

Warning for all you Shorty-chan (aka Toshirou) lovers out there! I think I sufficiently managed to mangle his character in this chapter, so this is an early apology if he's totally OOC and you hate it...

This is kind of like the second part of the ninth chapter but meh, not really. Mainly it involves "criminals" running for their lives and big scary hollows and ticked-off Hitsugayas and Byakuya being mean and violent and drawing his zanpakutou even though he's not supposed to according to Soul Society rules (thankies to skyblu629 for that one) and new introductions that no one really wants and...yeah. The Ishihimeness is to come later, sorry...I've got to focus on the plot in these chapters, not the romance. But when things start to kind of settle down (like a couple chapters after this) there will be time for lovey dovey Quincies to pine away after girls who are in love with other people. Don't worry, Ishi-kun, it'll all work out for you in the end!

Disclaimer...Aizen! Because...just because!

Aizen: Join me, or I will kill your friends...I have need of your abilities in the war that is to come...-slicks back hair-

Me: O.O. Ooookaaayyyyy...uh, how about you just disclaim my story and then I'll come to Hueco Mundo with you?

Aizen: Really? Well that was easy. Ahem...Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach, because if she did, I would probably be locked up in a physco ward, where I most undoubtably belong...

Me: Ya got that right. Anyways, that was great! I think...

Aizen: Good, now come with me to Hueco Mundo, like you promised.

Me: No! I lied! Muahahaha!  
Aizen: Gasp!! You are indeed a twisted and evil child.

Me: Twisted? _Me_, twisted? Who's the one that created a clone-puppet thing of himself, killed it, then carried its bloody corpse around with him for who _knows _how long??

Aizen: Errr...well, when you put it _that _way...

Me: Uh huh. Now get out of my disclaim-ing area before I call security on you.

Aizen: Sniff...-leaves-

Me: Gawd, I thought he would never leave...now read before I call security on you:)

* * *

Ten

I Am Skinner

"**I'm in trouble."**

Hitsugaya blinked in confusion for a moment, but only for a moment; he gained control a second later and straightened his shoulders, gathering as much of his commanding presence as he could. He directed his harsh gaze straight at Yume's startled face. She was high above him on the rooftop of a building, but even over that distance the potency of his glare was frightening.

"Get on the ground!" he ordered. The short captain's voice was so cold and hard, Uryu was surprised his words were not coated with ice as they slipped from his throat. "Now, Yamazaki!"

Yume jutted her lower lip out in a pout. "Neh, so mean, Shorty-chan! You don't have to yell."

"Get…on…the ground," Hitsugaya growled slowly.

"Are your shinigami friends gonna dog pile me?" Yume asked. She made no movement to jump off the roof onto the ground, but she did sheathe her zanpakutou. "I don't want to get crushed."

"Yamazaki…!" Hitsugaya said in a dangerous tone. "I'm not going to tell you again. Get on the ground!"

Yume sighed and waved at him flippantly.

"Alright, alright, Shorty-chan. I'm goin'."

She crouched slightly and leapt easily from the rooftop, landing on the ground as if she were floating down from the sky. As soon as her sandaled feet touched the dirt, the shinigami in the surrounding area darted forward in a mad rush to restrain her.

"Kyaaa!" Yume cried out as her arms were gripped by strong, unyielding hands and forced behind her back. A shinigami behind her wrapped his thick arm around her middle, nearly crushing the air out of her abdomen.

"Wait!" she screamed. "Wait! Snowy-chan —!"

Hitsugaya walked to stand in front of her, still giving her a glare that could freeze her blood in her veins. Byakuya shun-poed from the roof to the ground, flashing in and out of existence in the space of a second. His eyes were as emotionless and unreadable as ever, but Uryu could tell that he was still perturbed by what had just happened; the sixth division captain's eyes never left Yume's face, creases growing around his mouth as he noticed that her eyes had changed color. She stared back at him, a sick expression on her face as she made eye contact. The girl seemed to be silently pleading, begging him to accept an apology she made with her eyes, instead of her mouth. Byakuya made no sign that he saw her desperation. If it was even possible, his gaze grew even colder.

"Yamazaki Yume," Hitsugaya said, breaking the silence of the moment, "you are hereby to be detained by the Seretei until your punishment for this act is decided by trial."

"Trial!" Yume squawked. Her blue eyes flicked to Hitsugaya's face, wide with fear. "Wait, don't I get to talk first? I can explain this whole thing, I really can —"

"You've gotten your chance to talk!" Hitsugaya spat. The sheer force of his anger made Yume blink and fall silent, waiting for him to continue even though she did not want him to.

"You lied to us," Hitsugaya said. "You _lied_, saying that you'd never heard of Soul Society, that you weren't a shinigami. Neither are true; how could they be, when you attacked Captain Kuchiki in complete realization of what you were doing, and stand here before us garbed in our own uniform?"

Uryu could sense the small captain growing angrier and angrier and unconsciously frowned. If he was not careful, he would lose control. Hitsugaya seemed to realize the same thing, and he took in a short breath, calming himself down significantly. "Now, as the reason for your assault on Captain Kuchiki is not apparent and you have a rather prominent inclination to lie, we can't really believe anything you say. Or...we can't, yet."

The temperature seemed to drop nearly thirty degrees, small tails of frost crackling into existence along the edges of the buildings and ground. Uryu shivered and felt Orihime tremble beside him, unconsciously drawing closer to him for warmth. If not for the tense situation, he might have blushed. But Hitsugaya's cold anger demanded attention; the boy-captain's teal eyes seemed to glow in his face, the livid pupils tiny in his whites.

"After a time in the Repentance Cell, I can guarantee that you will talk," Hitsugaya continued. "You will tell us your reasons for attacking a captain, and if you are lucky, we may let you live."

Yume was dead silent; she merely stared down at him with a quiet expression, her eyes confused.

"So," she said, so quietly it was almost a whisper, "I can't explain my actions? I'm just going to go to jail no matter what I say?"

"That is correct."

"Hmmn." The girl seemed to suddenly perk up, straightening and beaming down at the short captain. "Well, it seems like I'm going to have to resort to plan T.A.G., then."

Hitsugaya frowned. "T…A.G.?"

"Yeah!" Yume grinned wildly, her muscles relaxing and growing lax in her captors' grip. Though she seemed to be getting less tense, Uryu could sense that she was really just gathering her energy. For what, he thought he already knew, but he wasn't sure if she would be able to pull it off.

"T.A.G." Yume cocked her head down at Hitsugaya, a playful smile still decorating her face. She turned her gaze upwards, grinning up at Byakuya's impassive face.

"Tag, you're it!"

Hitsugaya barely had time to shout, "What?!" before Yume was gone, shun-po'ing up and away from them. She appeared on top of the tiles of a roof several buildings away, cheerfully waving one arm in the air.

"C'mon, Snowy-chan, I thought shorties were fast!" she called. "Come on, come on! Ahahahaha!"

"After her!" Hitsugaya shouted. The multitudes of shinigami around him burst into action, rushing forward in a wave of black-clad figures. Yume saw them coming after her and gave another chirp of bubbly laughter, shun-po'ing far into the distance.

"She's fast!" Uryu heard Orihime gasp next to him. He turned to look at her. Her grey eyes, so warm and gentle, were confused and slightly awe-struck. She was wringing her hands unconsciously in front of her, staring after Yume's rapidly vanishing figure as it flitted from rooftop to rooftop, sometimes skipping so far as five buildings between each shun-po. Shinigami rushed around Orihime, her still, willowy form splitting the hardened warriors like a rock in the midst of a roaring river.

"Come on," he said, gently taking her elbow in his hand to get her attention. "We should follow and make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

Orihime jumped at the sound of his voice and smiled weakly at him, her gaze sliding off his face as if it was covered with butter and she could not keep her eyes on him. He traced her gaze to the object of her attention: Ichigo. The orange-haired boy was coming over to join them with Renji at his side, looking more than a little confused and irritated.

"Do you have any idea of what's going on?" he asked.

"No," Uryu replied. "I have less of an understanding than you have, anyway; you were here before us."

Ichigo nodded, staring at the crowd of shinigami still chasing after Yume. Hitsugaya had taken to leaping up onto the rooftops, small feet flying beneath him as he took the less crowded way after the black-haired girl. Byakuya didn't seem to know what to do, like Mayuri, who was still standing where he'd been a minute ago. Both captains looked disinterestedly at one another; then, they shun-poed out of the area, vanishing as if they had never been.

"We've got to go after her," Ichigo said. "I have no idea what Yamazaki is up to, but I do know that something was different about her when she was attacking Byakuya." His brown eyes narrowed, and he flicked his gaze back to Uryu. "Let's go."

* * *

The wind whipped Yume's dark hair in silky locks around her face, its coldness making her lips go numb. She shivered as she fled the sight of Setsuna's attack; although Soul Society was kind of like heaven, it still got cold here. The sound of her pursuers was close behind her, making her shun-po to even greater distances. She wasn't even sure where she was now; she was just shun-po'ing wherever she could reach a rooftop, trying to get away from the shinigami and Hitsugaya. Heck, she could be running in circles, for all she knew. 

_And it's _your _fault, _she thought grumpily into the recesses of her mind. She could feel Setsuna's presence as sure as the clothes on her back and the hard tiles of the rooftops beneath her feet, but the green-eyed girl was not responding.

"Oh, stop sulking!" Yume said in exasperation, leaning forward a little into the wind so that she could get more speed. "You're not the one being chased by, like, a _hundred_ shinigami all because _someone _decided to randomly attack one of the captains of the Gotei 13!"

The reality of it came hard and swift, like a punch to the stomach, nearly pushing the air from her lungs and almost costing her balance. Yume wobbled a bit on the last tile of the rooftop she was currently on, but shun-poed herself to one three buildings down and continued her flight. "I attacked a captain of the Gotei 13," she repeated softly. Her voice was tinged with fear and a graveness that wasn't hers, and she immediately forced herself to perk up.

"I am so awesome!" she shouted, pumping a pale fist into the air. "Hooray for me!"

Yume was somewhere in the third division; she recalled it from memory, the buildings and structure of the place familiar in her mind. She flitted across rooftops, searching idly for someplace for her to run. She couldn't just keep running; sooner or later they were bound to catch up to her, and Yume did not want that to happen. No, not at all.

Feet flying over one particularly long rooftop, she turned her gaze skyward. Though she could not see it, she knew there was a shield protecting the entirety of Seretei, an invisible dome that rejected those with reiatsu from coming inside the city. It couldn't keep her from exiting. She was counting on that.

There was a whoosh of air just as she was about to shun-po to the next building. Byakuya appeared in front of her, shun-po'ing from out of nowhere, silent as he blocked her way. Yume let out a startled squeak and leapt into the air, just managing to avoid crashing into the stock-still captain. She pressed her foot against Byakuya's shoulder as she sailed above him and jumped, using him as a springboard to push herself further into the air. Yume grinned at the feel of her body flying effortlessly through the air, gravity just barely beginning to work on her limbs.

"Too slow, Byakuya-kun, too slooowwww!" she taunted as she sailed away from him, heading for the next rooftop.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

The words froze the smile on her face, making it slide off as pain seared like freezing fire in her right leg. A quick glance down showed her what she feared; red was blossoming along her shin. Her uniform had been shredded, cut away, from just below her knee down by the attack. Yume was grateful that there was still a little bit of the cloth hanging down to cover some of the damage inflicted by Byakuya's shikai. Blood stood out stark against her pale, milky-white skin, like ragged tendrils of red silk wrapped around her limb.

An image flashed before her dazed mind.

_The bodies lay face down in the street, a man and a woman, side by side. From her viewpoint, she was looking down at them; she could clearly see the pool of crimson liquid surrounding their bodies like a bloody halo, shifting with the impact of heavy raindrops on its surface. _

_I _hate_ blood!_

The feeling of weightlessness disappearing from her stunned body jerked Yume back to reality. She realized with a small scream that she was falling towards the ground at an alarming pace, her balance gone. Her hands were out, desperately reaching out for a handhold that was not there. Feet kicked uselessly, slender fingers scrabbled at nothing as the ground came closer and closer — and then, they caught on something.

Yume kept falling, gravity jerking heavily on her feet, but her hands remained caught in the air. Her momentum dragged her down, and a tremendous tearing sound filled her ears, making Yume clench her teeth. She slowed down and came to a stop, hands still clenching in the air, feet trembling a foot above the ground. When it became apparent that nothing else was going to happen, Yume summoned her wits about herself and looked up.

From where she had first grabbed onto air to where she was dangling right now there was a long, uneven rip in the air. Blackness, like shadows dipped in ink, writhed within the tear's boundaries. She could not feel anything inside of it, though the darkness seemed almost tangible; her hands were only holding onto the bottom of the tear like she was clinging to something substantial, the edge of something. The darkness scared her, and she let go, falling onto the ground with a small grunt as she landed. Looking up from her new viewpoint, the tear looked even bigger. It was nearly ten feet tall, vertically, but was incredibly thin, like it had been created by someone dragging the thin edge of a knife down the air's length.

Shouts sounded in Yume's ears, and she scrabbled to her feet, remembering where she was. She backed away towards the rip in the air as she saw shinigami round a corner and run towards her, some with their zanpakutous out.

Hitsugaya had arrived at the same time as his squad members. He ran to join Byakuya at the edge of the building she'd been standing on, his gaze slipping over her to join Byakuya's. Both captains were staring at the tear in the air, Hitsugaya with his mouth hanging a fraction open and Byakuya with his eyes wide and eyebrows slanted downwards. Yume grew nervous, her feet itching beneath her, hands twitching by her side. She wanted to run.

The shinigami chasing after her came to an abrupt stop, pulling short as they noticed the tear. Their expressions were mixed, but all had one similar emotion: fear. They knew what that tear was. Yume saw Uryu and Orihime, along with Ichigo and Renji, tear around the corner and skid to a stop as well. Every one of them seemed to recognize the tear as well, especially Orihime; the girl's grey eyes were wide, and she was trembling.

With one last whoosh of quiet air, everyone had gathered; Mayuri stood away to Yume's far right, studying the rip in the air with surprised interest. She could feel the shadowy tear's presence behind her like a living thing, and as she listened intently to the silence that reigned over the division, she thought she could hear something moving in the depths of the darkness...

The first sign that something was coming through was the hand. Or, "claw" was more accurate; it reached out of the shadowy tear to grip the edge and slowly forced the rip wider so it could get its other hand through as well. It pushed, making the tear in the air wider. Yume turned her head around but kept her back to it, staring up with wide eyes as a Hollow's mask slowly emerged from the dark recesses of the portal. It wasn't just any Hollow; she recognized it immediately from the markings and leery grin, even before it stared down at her and uttered her name.

"Yamazaki." It leered again and forced its emerging arms far apart, making the portal widen and stretch even more. "Insect."

Yume let out a startled squeak as it finally slipped through, landing heavily on all fours directly behind her. It made a grab for her with one long-taloned claw, but she shun-poed out of the way and reappeared behind Byakuya on the rooftop of the nearby building. She huddled behind the black-haired captain, who gave her a cold frown, but she merely peered up at him and shuffled closer to his back.

"Tsk," the Hollow grunted. "And here I thought I might not have any trouble with this, for once..."

"You'll get trouble just by showing your face here." Hitsugaya shun-poed from the roof of the building Byakuya and Yume were standing on and drew his zanpakutou, clutching it tight as he appeared in front of the Hollow. "Get back through that portal now, or I'll just cut your head from your shoulders, _Hollow_."

The Hollow barely gave the short boy-captain the weakest of acknowledgements; it took once glance and him and snorted derisively, obviously not frightened or even threatened by Hitsugaya. Uryu, standing a ways behind the tenth-division captain, took a step closer towards the hunched creature.

"You," he said quietly. "What are you doing here?" Yume turned her head to look at him; he recognized the Hollow, too.

The Hollow turned its gaze on him, narrowing its eyes slightly in recognition.

"My name is Skinner 12-D," it hissed. "And I am here for Yume Yamazaki."

* * *

A/N: Personally, I feel the ending was a bit rushed...-shrugs- ah well, I wanted to give you somethin' to read, anyway. Skinner. I _like _that name...for a bad guy, of course. I've always wanted to use it...:) He has a problem with calling people insects, doesn't he? And Ulquiorra has a problem with calling people trash...I'm gonna have to fix that one day when he disclaims my story for me...oh well, to each his own, right? 

Anyways, I was reading this one fanfiction and saw that the author said she couldn't really keep up the story because she went off to college and I just wanted to let you all know that I would NEVER do that to you! Sob...it's so sad. And to think that I spent a good twenty-four hours of my life just happily reading that story...-goes off into a corner and cries-

But on the uphand, I just favorited a new author! If any one of you out there is a fan of Synlet, an Incredibles pairing, then go check out crzysheelf...I dunno, I just read two of her stories, the first of which I instantly fell in love with and the second of which is a sequel to the first. They're called No Longer the Villain and Deadly Obsessions...I love 'em both!

Review now and get a free Ishida chibi doll. Or a tomato. Whichever you prefer.

:) Until the next chapter, ta ta!


	11. Eleven: The Storm Clouds Gather

Ermm…would it suffice to say I have no excuse for late updating save for writer's block and a reluctance to face my writer's block? I've noticed my plot is starting to stray from Uryu…so I'll fix that right away…just for any of you who started to notice that, I thought it was, anyways…oh and since I've recently read the…what is it, 314th chapter of the manga?...I now officially dub this fanfic an AU! There.

There's a little bit of wonderful Ishihime in this chapter. Doesn't that make you happy? It makes _me _happy…I'd eat Ishihime for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could…and maybe a little elevensies in between…

Disclaimer, though he annoys the...um...cough, unmentionable stuff out of me, is for Ichigo today! Mainly because I want to make fun of him…kukuku.

Ichigo: Er…yeah, well that's not disturbing.

Me: Yeah, well…URYU (is greater than) ICHIGO! Oh, pwned! (I couldn't enter the 'greater than' arrow thingy in here...wah, I am sad...)

Ichigo: What the hell?!

Me: Stop cussing! –hits with fake hammer– Meh, you're too much trouble. I'll disclaim it myself. Ahem, I don't own Bleach. No, _duh_. If I did, Ichigo wouldn't live after losing about ten pints of blood in every battle. That fact in itself defies logic in every possible way.

Ichigo: Someone's jealous.

Me: …For those Ichigo fans out there, I shall refrain from replying. But I can't resist doing _this_! –hits again with fake hammer –

Ichigo: Aaah!

Me: Read on, my dear readers, read on! And have fun…I think this chapter turned out decent. Oh, and it was about ten pages long, so brace yourself. Get a sandwich or a cookie or something. ;)

-Kimsa

* * *

Eleven

The Storm Clouds Gather

"**My name is Skinner 12-D, and I am here for Yume Yamazaki."**

"What makes you think that we'd let you have her?" Hitsugaya asked coldly. His eyes flashed challengingly, pale fingers tightening around the hilt of his zanpakutou.

Skinner narrowed his own eyes, his thin mouth widening as he let out a hiss of a laugh. "Why wouldn't you?" he returned. "She just attacked a captain of the Gotei 13, a direct violation against the Seretei; why would you defend her?"

"How do you know what Yamazaki has done?" Hitsugaya demanded. Skinner smiled again.

"I have my ways."

Uryu suddenly felt hot anger sear through him, and without thinking summoned his bow. "You will leave now," he hissed, pointing the weapon at the Hollow, "or we will _make_ you leave."

Skinner turned his gaze to him. "Please," he scoffed disdainfully. "The last time we fought, you were left lying in a puddle of your own blood, _Quincy__**. **_If I beat you once, I can beat you again."

Uryu narrowed his eyes, but remained silent; he wasn't going to let the Hollow see how angry it had made him.

"You talk like we don't outnumber you thirty to one," Hitsugaya spoke up. "We overpower you in both number and skill. So," his eyes flashed once, "explain yourself!"

Skinner sighed. "Fine, fine," he said in a bored tone. "I come on direct orders from Aizen-sama, Lord and Master of Las Noches, Hueco Mundo. With me, he sends a message: the siege of Soul Society is to start in one week. We will come then, pillaging and destroying your cities and homes. You can either resist, or submit; one will prolong your suffering, the other will soothe it. It is your choice, but either way, you will not win. There can be only one outcome: victory. And it is not yours. Join, or die; turn, or be turned; step down, or be brought down. It is your choice."

There was stunned silence for a moment. One week? The war was going to start in only seven more days? Soul Society had known that it was approaching, but still, the realization of what was going to happen, and in such a short period of time, numbed everyone to their cores.

"…There is no possibility, whatsoever, of any of us ever joining sides with the Hollows," Hitsugaya finally said grimly. "Tell Aizen we're ready for him."

The Hollow's thin mouth drew back in a sneer. "Fine," he grunted. A long, spider-like finger whipped out as Skinner swung his skeletal arm around to point at Yume, who was still huddling behind Byakuya.

"But I take the girl," he snarled.

"Hitsugaya…" Yume said softly, using the captain's real name for the first time since she'd met him. "Don't…"

"Shut up, insect!!" Skinner exploded. Yume's flinch was barely noticeable, but it was the only sign of fear that she showed; her eyes shone with hatred and a willingness to fight that was as strong as Kenpachi's could be.

"No," she said forcefully, stepping out from behind Byakuya. "Not any more, Skinner."

Hitsugaya frowned slightly as she turned to face him, but she matched the coldness of his gaze with an imploring look of her own. "Hitsugaya-san," she said formally, "I know I attacked Byakuya-kun. I know that it's probably enough to throw me in jail for a very long time, or even enough to get me executed, but I really didn't mean for it to go that far. I didn't even mean for it to happen. Now I know that sounds crazy and completely unbelievable, but it's true. And I'll be able to explain, but only you don't let Skinner take me away."

Hitsugaya remained silent for a moment after she'd quieted. Then, with a rigid, wary air about him, he turned to face Skinner. "I'll ask again," he said, "What makes you think we'd let you have her? What is your reason for asking in the first place?"

Skinner did not answer immediately. Uryu could almost see the Hollow's shrewd mind ticking away beneath its colorless skull, its talons flexing in a nervous reflex as it carefully pondered its response.

"My reasons…are my own," Skinner finally replied. "I'm sure if I asked you your reasons for anything, you would keep them to yourself as well. Just know that they should become apparent if you do choose to keep her; though I would not, if I were you. The insect can be quite…troublesome, at times."

Uryu looked over at Yume, taking in her stiff appearance. She held herself tall, for one whose future might be decided in a moment, and he could see firm resolve in her vivid blue eyes, in her squared shoulders and set jaw. His gaze traveled to Hitsugaya, whose attention was also riveted on the black-haired girl. The short captain turned away from her after moment, a silent understanding passing between the two, and faced the hulking Hollow.

"Yamazaki stays with us," he said calmly. "We will accept any consequences that come along with her. Even for one such as herself, who has committed a heavy crime against the Gotei 13, imprisonment in Hollows' company is too severe of a punishment to be enacted against her. She will stay with us, for how ever long she may choose to. And we will be ready for Aizen's army."

Uryu expected Skinner to explode upon the refusal of his demands, to suddenly rear up and attack with fury to match that of a maelstrom's. Yet as he watched in slow, mild surprise, the skeletal Hollow simply trembled once, sharp rage flashing in its ruby-colored eyes, and drew back towards the black portal awaiting it.

"Have it your way," he said quietly. "We will retrieve the insect either way; the punishment will just be twice as painful, in return for your refusal."

Then, without another word, it strode backwards with its long, sharp-angled limbs, and vanished into the ebony recesses of the portal. The rip in the air sealed up silently, like a toothless zipper sown from hushed shadow, closing just as easily as if someone had smoothed its rumpled edges over with a calming hand.

Yume let out an explosive breath and wiped at her pale brow, shaking slightly with fragile mirth and the after-effects of the tense situation.

"For a second there, I thought you were going to let him have me, Shorty-chan," she told Hitsugaya. He returned her relieved gaze for a cold, reproving one, and she gave him a weak smile.

"Ehheh…heheh…I'm still going to have to explain my actions, aren't I?"

Of course, Hitsugaya answered with a firm "yes." It was decided that he would ask Yamamoto to hold a captain's meeting for Yume to confess her reasons to the entirety of the Gotei 13's top shinigami. Yume was reluctant, but relented because of her promise; she'd been granted permission to stay in Soul Society for the time, and in exchange, she would have to explain herself, no matter how much she did not want to.

* * *

"Do you eat steroids for breakfast?!"

Kenpachi frowned down at the blue-eyed girl staring him straight in the eye, her raven-haired head bent backwards at an almost painful angle so that she would be able to look at his face. The man's familiar feral, mad-man grin split its way over his jagged face, casting a dark shadow over his face that would send any Hollow running for the hills. Renji, who was about to enter the meeting with Ichigo and the others, took one look at the grin, turned on his heel in mid-step, and left the building.

"No, kid," Kenpachi rumbled. Yume jumped slightly at the sound, gaping up at the huge man as though he was a mountain that had gained the ability to speak. Most people, if they heard Kenpachi talk for the first time, would think so too; Uryu had nearly twitched in surprise the first time he heard the scarred man speak, and Kenpachi's rugged appearance did nothing to alleviate the feeling of impending doom one got from catching his crooked grin or leering gaze.

"Oh," Yume said weakly. Then, seeming to regain her composure: "Do you think Ichigo would lose his baby fat if he ate steroids for breakfast, too?"

Ichigo, stationed only a few paces away, chose that time to conduct an impressive bout of gasp-choking. Uryu leaped at the opportunity and slapped him hard on the back, earning him a dark glare from the orange-haired boy. He returned the glower for a dry smirk.

The sound of Yamamoto's cane striking against the floor resounded like a gunshot throughout the cavernous room, silencing every captain's anxious muttering, and making Yume jump like she'd been jerked off her feet for a moment by taut puppet strings. Each captain lined up in their order on either side of the room, Uryu and company backing up until they were behind Yume, who was standing alone in the center of the room. Yume blinked once before twisting to face Yamamoto, who resided in his high-backed chair at the head of the room.

"I am Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryusai, Captain Commander and leader of the Gotei 13, which resides in the Seretei," the elderly soul reaper said. "Speak your name."

Uryu knew the Captain Commander was anything but weak, but even so it startled him every time he heard the man speak; one did not expect to find so much conviction, so much commanding power, in the voice of one who looked to be over eighty years old. Yume seemed uncertain as well; she gave Uryu and the others a brief glance before fully turning her body so that she faced Yamamoto head-on.

"My name is Yume Yamazaki," she said formally, bowing low to show her respect.

"Yume Yamazaki," Yamamoto said, "you have, as of yesterday, recently entered our home for the first time. Not twenty-four hours later, you attacked a captain of the Gotei 13. Your explanation?"

"Err…it wasn't…me?" Yume tried.

Uryu could feel the old man's reiatsu intensify in a single moment, flaring up about him in a stifling fog. Yume squeaked, drawing in upon herself as the air grew hot and compressed itself around her.

"It…was not…_you_?" Yamamoto repeated in a deadly tone. "Are you trying to deny what dozens of people saw, Yamazaki?"

"No, no, you don't get it!" Yume said hastily, beads of sweat running down her panicked face. "I…I'm not one…person. I'm three. Me, Setsuna, and Zazie."

Yamamoto's reiatsu dwindled away, fading as though carried away by a swift breeze. Mutterings ran through the gathered captains, reflecting their confusion and surprise. Uryu could feel those very same emotions coursing through his veins, now, drawing his eyes to stare in disbelief at Yume. It was not an entirely unbelievable statement, though, when he thought on it; she had seemed like different people at times, usually whenever she touched those bells tied around her neck…

"Elaborate," Yamamoto said shortly, raising his voice over the others occupying the room.

Yume repeated the story she'd given Uryu and the others back at Orihime's apartment, but with a small twist: her sisters had died, just as she'd said, but she had called upon her new-found powers at the moment their souls fled their bodies. Somehow, her power had drawn them into her body like a vacuum to dust mites. She admitted that she did not understand how, but that she could call her separate identities forth with the bells: one for her, one for Setsuna, and one for Zazie.

For a moment after she finished explaining, silence fell over the large, wood-paneled. Yamamoto did not hesitate to break it.

"Show us," he commanded. "If those bells really do summon forth the souls of your sisters, demonstrate with one of them. Preferably the one that tried to attack Kuchiki-taichou."

"She's kind of sulking right now, so she might put up a fight," Yume cautioned, "but I'll try."

Uryu watched as the ebony-haired girl closed her eyes and gripped one of the bells with slender fingers, her mouth moving minimally as she quietly uttered a single name.

"Setsuna."

The change in reiatsu was almost immediate. Uryu stiffened as an entirely different kind of spiritual pressure entered the atmosphere, replacing Yume's warm, bright aura with one that was so cold, so strictly precise and severe, that it made his hair stand on end. When Yume next opened her eyes, her gaze was that of the girl he had seen attacking Byakuya: vivid, almost electric green.

Yume, or Setsuna as she now was, straightened and grew stiff as a plane of ice as everyone's attention latched onto her and remained there. She narrowed her eyes at Yamamoto, who was simply looking at her with half-open eyes.

"On custom," she said coldly, "most people do not imprison and interrogate frightened girls when they have done nothing wrong."

"On custom," Yamamoto replied dryly, "most frightened girls do not inhibit alternate entities that run around attacking captains of the Gotei 13."

Setsuna gave him a condescending frown, lifting her chin slightly. "What is it that you've called me forth for?" she asked abruptly. "The condition of my soul is not so strong that it would hold undiminished should I continue to control my sister's body. Ask your questions, then let me return reign over this being to my sister."

"You will not rush me, child!" Yamamoto barked sharply, his voice snapping through the air like a three-pronged whip. Setsuna did not flinch, though Uryu felt Orihime do so violently at his side. Yamamoto's anger was not something most people sought to invoke, in order to avoid a most frightening wrath, but Setsuna did not seem to care that she'd upset him. She stood as tall as she had a moment ago, and met his gaze with the same disdainful aloofness.

"Explain yourself," Yamamoto said. "Give us your reasons for attacking Kuchiki-taichou, and we may let your sister live."

The silence was heavy. Setsuna remained as mobile as the walls that restricted her from fleeing, for that was exactly what Uryu thought she was going to do for a moment. He tensed, hoping to any higher power that she would not; Yume was already in enough trouble as it was. The black-haired girl's eyes were half-lidded in a dull, uncaring stare, but other than the original rigidness of her posture, she did not look like she was tensed to run. Finally, after what seemed a millennia but what was probably only half a minute, Setsuna relented with a short, light sigh.

"My sister and I are two of a set of triplets," she said quietly. "Some people believe that, thus, we share a kind of special bond, and we do. It strengthened all the more when Zazie and I were restricted to Yume's body. Sometimes I can sense that certain objects or people will cause my sister great harm or grief; Kuchiki was one of those people. I sought to relieve my sister of any potential danger, which, in this unfortunate case, was that captain. That is my reason, and if you disapprove or think that I lie, then I will take the blame, because it is the only thing I have to say on the matter."

"I assure you, our captains only ever cause anyone…harm…if that person is a danger to the Seretei or the whole of Soul Society itself," Yamamoto said after a pause. "Your reasons, though possibly true, are not enough to excuse your actions. I would restrict you to a detention cell, but it would not only be you suffering, it would also be your younger sisters. And, however wrong and misguided your actions may have been, they are not enough to punish all three of you. So it is now that, considering the Hollow named Skinner 12-D also had an interest in your sister and it would therefore be unwise to entirely thrust you from this world, I say that we hold a trial for you and your sisters."

"A trial?" Setsuna repeated, raising one eyebrow. "With whom as my defense? Quincy and fairy-girl over there?"

"Cease your interruptions and snide comments lest I decide to hand you over to the Hollow Skinner after all!" Yamamoto barked. "Your trial will not be decided by a juror's diction, but by combat; I trust you have a zanpakutou, after you've shown us your…interesting…ability?"

"Yes," Setsuna replied. "Yume's zanpakutou can mimic any form, acquiring all of the attached powers and skills along with it."

"…A dangerous power," Yamamoto said. "And one that only someone here would be worthy of combating. So, who is it going to be? Who will fight Yume Yamazaki tomorrow?"

For a long time, no one spoke. Uryu could feel the tension building up in the deathly quiet silence, like a band drawn to the point of snapping. Looking around the large room, he patiently observed everyone's expressions, taking in the amount of confusion, apprehension, and indifference in pace. No one seemed to be willing to take the challenge, and he thought Yamamoto was going to just up and appoint someone to the battle, when Soifon stepped forward from her spot in the line.

"I will fight Yume Yamazaki," she said confidently, holding her sharp chin high in the air. Setsuna gave her a cold stare, and Soifon unflinchingly returned it.

"Since no one else is willing to stand up for the reputation of the Gotei 13, I will gladly defeat her," the second division captain stated. "I will uphold the pride of the Seretei."

"Very well," Yamamoto said with an air of finality. He raised his cane once, just a little, and let it thud against the floor, echoing loudly in the cavernous room.

"Tomorrow, ten o'clock sharp, Yume Yamazaki will fight against Soifon-taichou, in a trial for her freedom…and life."

* * *

_Sisters. They were her sisters._

Uryu closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he let the cold winter wind wash over him, filling his lungs and electrifying them with a sudden blast of oxygen. He stood just outside the main building where the Gotei 13 held their captains meetings, letting the brisk air pulse through him and ease the dull pain his aching head was feeling. Ichigo and the others had exited at the same time he had, and by the grim expressions on their faces, their thoughts were following the same bumpy, crooked path his were.

By now, everyone had been informed of Skinner's war declaration. People rushed everywhere, giving orders and shouting for supplies, reminding him of a hive of wasps suddenly kicked into activity. Zanpakutous seemed even more prominent than before, and even the lower ranked shinigami were being allowed to carry theirs with them at all times. The air, still so cold with winter's frigid breath, seemed to thicken and solidify with the tense atmosphere.

"So this is the 'calm' before the war," Uryu heard Ichigo say, the orange-haired teen standing straight and tall as he surveyed the scene with grave eyes. "Huh…there's nothing calm about it."

"I don't think we've seen the 'calm' just yet," Uryu replied quietly. "But we can guess that it will come, if not before the very first blow falls."

"Yeah…" Ichigo sighed. "Alright, that's enough of war talk. Everyone, we should be going somewhere, doing something. Oy, Renji — what can we do to help?"

The red-haired lieutenant, who had been waiting by the building's single door throughout the entire meeting, blinked thoughtfully for a moment before squaring his shoulders and nodding sharply. "Right. I should be with Byakuya-taichou; he's still inside the meeting with the Captain Commander and Yamazaki…don't know what for, though…but in his temporary absence I should be leading the sixth division. I'll take care of that. Chad…huh. Why don't you go with Ichigo to check up on Rukia? She should be in her division at the moment. Ishida, Inoue, you…Inoue, you can heal people, right?"

Orihime straightened and set her delicate jaw, slanting her eyebrows downwards in a ridiculously stern gaze. "Yessir!" she said sharply. "I'm really good at that."

"The fourth division for you, then. Get yourself acquainted with Unohana-taichou and the rest of the squad. I have a feeling you're going to be spending a lot of time with them."

"And me?" Uryu prompted. Renji turned to look at the black-haired youth, scratching his head as he frowned.

"Huh. Then there's you. Uhh…no offense, but is there anything really helpful that you can do? I mean yeah, you're great in a fight against guys like that pink-haired freak Szayel, but how can that really assign you to a temporary division?"

"Ishida-kun can sew!" Orihime announced brightly before Uryu could say anything in reply. He felt his face heat up as Renji raised tattooed eyebrows at him. Was that even possible?

"Alright, fourth division for you, too," he said decisively. "So let's get to it, then!"

Ichigo and Chad were already hurrying into the growing crowd of shinigami, barely sparing their friends a 'see you later' before they were gone. Uryu dimly heard Orihime chattering excitedly by his side, her rapid words sliding off of him like slick butter; his attention, like Renji's, had suddenly been caught by someone, or two someone's, exiting the meeting building.

Yume looked downright exhausted, both mentally and physically. She walked with an uncharacteristic slump to her slender shoulders, her raven-black hair falling in front of her face and shielding her tired eyes from the outside world. Byakuya showed no weariness, mental or otherwise; his eyes, such a cold, dusky-black color, were as glacial as his hard expression. Uryu could see frigid fire flaring in the sixth division captain's gaze, though what Byakuya was angry about, he had yet to find out.

Yume looked up at Byakuya with a soft, apologetic gaze, but he simply gave her a short, disdainful frown, and turned on his heel, white captain's robe swirling at his feet. Renji followed his captain and left without another word, obviously noticing that now was not a time to try and inquire the taller man about the meeting. Yume winced as she watched them walk away, and shuffled dejectedly over to Uryu and Orihime.

"I think he's mad at me," she muttered sadly.

"Well, you did try to kill him," Uryu reminded her, "and lied to Soul Society, both about your identity and your sisters' past."

"I didn't lie about that!" Yume protested, her head lifting as a bright, defiant spark entered her blue eyes. "I just…forgot to mention it."

"Right," Uryu said bitterly, his words laced with hot sarcasm, "sorry."

"Are you going to be mad at me, too?" Yume asked quietly. Her pleading words brought the harshness of Uryu's words to his attention, and he sighed, slowly shaking his raven-haired head.

"No. Sorry, Yamazaki-san. It's just…a lot of things have been happening lately, and it's been getting to me."

"Everyone's going through hard times, Ishida-kun," Orihime said softly, looking up at him with understanding in her warm grey eyes. "Kurosaki-kun, Sado-kun, Kuchiki-san, Yamazaki-chan…and me."

"Right, right," Yume said enthusiastically, bobbing her head up and down in agreement. "So let's still be friends, even though I basically tried to kill a captain of the Gotei 13, lied a little about my sisters' death, and have a huge Hollow thing on my heels every moment of every day. 'Kay?"

Uryu smiled fondly, shaking his head again. "I don't know how you're able to stay so cheerful during these kinds of situations, but I'm glad you can. Of course we'll still be friends, Yamazaki-san."

"And now that we're still friends," Orihime said happily, "we'll have to stick together. Come with us to the fourth division, Yamazaki-chan!"

Yume's smile immediately wavered, and she made a disappointed face, sticking her pink tongue out of the corner of her mouth. "Oooh, sorry, but I can't. See, during the meeting…err…well, I kind of got assigned to Byakuya-kun."

"Assigned?" Uryu repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Umm…he's my warden. My assistant…no, that's the wrong word…bodyguard? No…"

"Supervisor?" Uryu suggested, raising a single eyebrow as he struggled not to smirk with dry mirth. What use could Yamamoto have of assigning Byakuya to watch over Yume? Maybe he wanted to see if Byakuya could trigger any other hidden qualities Yume might have, or maybe he wanted to see what 'danger' the stoic captain posed to the high-spirited girl.

Yume nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that's it! He's my supervisor. And I don't think he's too happy about it. Actually…I think that it's against his patrol, not being with me right now… Uh oh, I don't want to get him into any more trouble than he's already in, so I've got to go now. But don't worry, Inoue-chan, I'll see you tomorrow, during my trial, okay?"

By the time the last sentence had popped out, Yume was already off, waving as she hurried in the direction Byakuya had taken. Orihime blinked uncertainly, frowning slightly as she called out, "Wait, Yamazaki-chan! How are you going to win the trial against Soifon-san? She's the 2nd division captain…I heard even Yoruichi-san had a hard time beating her."

"I'll be fine!" Yume replied with a wide grin. "I bet I'll win in five minutes! Watch! I'll _bet_ you! Besides, the trial's rules are simple: if I lose, I die, and if I win, I don't die. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow! Bye!"

Uryu gaped after the bright-eyed girl, gawking at her simplistic cheerfulness. Orihime giggled and said, "Ishida-kun, if you don't close your mouth, flies will land on your tongue and build a city!"

Uryu quickly snapped his mouth shut. "That girl…" he muttered. "She's…odd. Who was 'Yama-sama'?"

"I think that's her nickname for Yamamoto-taichou," Orihime supplied. "I'm a little worried about her trial tomorrow. I know she's strong, but some people in the Seretei are scary-strong."

"She'll be fine," Uryu said with a calm shrug. "She managed to land a hit on Byakuya."

Orihime nodded in agreement, frowning even so. "I hope so."

Uryu looked down at her, taking in her slightly worried expression, and the way she was wringing her wrists. That always meant she was anxious. Gently taking her elbow, he tugged her in the direction of the fourth division before quickly letting go.

"We should go to the fourth division, as Abarai suggested," he said.

"Right…" Orihime replied.

They walked the short distance, occasionally being jostled to the side by shinigami struggling to prepare for the war. By the time they'd reached the fourth division, however, the hurried bustle had slowed to a calm, steady stream, as everyone belatedly gathered their wits about them and realized the attack was not going to happen any moment soon.

As they were nearing the fourth division, Uryu noticed that Orihime seemed to be having a hard time with something. She would frown, scrunch her eyes shut, vigorously shake her red-haired head, and wrinkle her nose in a way that he could not deny was cute. He tried to contemplate what would make her react in such a way, but could not come up with any reasonable explanations. Orihime was like an exotic, beautiful bird in that way; strange, unfathomable, and undeniably captivating, drawing those around her like bees to sweet honey. Uryu could not understand why she did what she did half of the time, and he understood even less of what she said. She was utterly confusing, so much that it was aggravating for him not to be able to understand at some times, but she would never make him angry. No, Orihime could make him feel things that he'd never felt before, make him care when he would usually turn a blind eye, and make him stay when he wanted nothing more than to run away, but she never would, never could make him angry.

And the honey bee with its honey, and the researcher with its rare, exotic bird, would do anything to protect its most beloved, precious treasure. Uryu was sure of that.

"Inoue-san?" he finally asked, deciding to simply ask her outright, "Is something wrong?"

"N-no!" Orihime immediately replied, before blushing and shrugging slim shoulders. She entwined her fingers around each other, clenching tightly before releasing them slowly, one by one. "Or, well…I'm worried for Yamazaki-chan. She acts very confident, but I don't know if she can win the trial tomorrow. Soifon-san is very fast, and very strong. If Yamazaki-chan doesn't win tomorrow…"

"She'll win," Uryu assured her. She blinked up at him, warm grey eyes showing just how concerned she was. He gave her a gentle smile to soothe her, and Orihime relaxed.

"I'm sure she will, Inoue-san," he said. Yet even as he said this, he felt a prick of doubt. He did not know much of Yume's powers or abilities, nor their levels. What if Orihime was right, and Yume was no match for Soifon? What if she…lost?

Looking up at the pale sky, he frowned, azure eyes crinkling at the edges as he watched dark storm clouds creep across the blue expanse above them. A storm was coming.

"…She _has_ to win."

* * *

A/N: Yes, well...ahem. I don't know how that Orihime-honey-bee-bird paragraph turned out. I wrote it in like, what, two minutes? Maybe not even that...meh, let me know what you think. If you don't like it, I'll go back and change it. Though I am loathe to do so (behold Kimsa's laziness!). For a preview: the next chapter will be completely and totally, 100 percent, Ishihime and ByaxYume. Mainly Ishihime. Need I remind you that the ByaxOC in this story is purely platonic - meaning there's not going to be any romance between Byakuya and Yume. If there is, it's probably accidental. That or I was in a "Ah, what the heck?" mood.

Sorry if any of you are disappointed...I thought that those two names at the very, very top of the page and the genre 'romance' was sufficient proof that the only romance going on is between Orihime and Ishida. If this was ByaOC romance, it'd say something like "Byakuya" and then the genre would be "romance." I'm not too keen on OC romance stories; other genres are fine by me, and I like original characters, but romance OC's make my hair stand on end. Meh. Something about Mary Sues...dunno if there's a manga term for that...

Reviews are loverly. Constructive crits are even better.

Next chapter: Strawberry Vanilla

-Kimsa


	12. Twelve: Strawberry Vanilla

And so I humbly present to you the twelfth chapter…yadda yadda yadda…and guess what? Ishihime, that's what! Sorry for those of you who were waiting for it…I wanted to get Yume's trial-thing out of the way as soon as possible. It's a major little battle, so we actually get to learn about part of the extent of her powers…in the next chapter. In this chapter, I just wanted to focus on building relationships.

Yes, Uryu's a bit…off…in the beginning of this chapter. It's because he's a sleep-deprived man. I figured that he's the type who doesn't make any sense to anyone, not even to himself, when he's tired. I just couldn't make him the type of guy who's irritable when tired. I just couldn't. (And sorry for you guys out there, I know not all guys are like that when they're tired. Just the guys I know. Gee, how lucky, huh? XP)

The lucky winner for our disclaimer is….well, why not Soifon? She's going to appear quite a bit in the next chapter, anyways!

Soifon: Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach.

Me: ……That's it?

Soifon: -is confused- Well, isn't that what I am supposed to say?

Me: Well, yes…but usually people say things other than that…like crazy psychopath things and mini rants an'….stuff…

Soifon: …Well…I'm afraid I don't…rant.

Me: Awww. Fine then, for a lack of rant, you get _extra_ pwnage by Yume on you next chapter.

Soifon: Is that the only reason you pitted me against her? So Yume could…inflict 'pwnage' upon me?

Me: -squirms- …Maybe…

Soifon: -sigh-

* * *

Twelve

Strawberry Vanilla

Orihime Inoue, when presented with the chance, could be quite insane.

Uryu, when faced with Orihime while she was in this 'unstable' state, could be quite perplexed by her frightening behavior…to put it mildly.

Orihime was currently flouncing around the fourth division for lack of anything better to do, laughing and giggling at anything that she found particularly funny in the littlest, simplest ways. Like that splotch on the wall. Apparently, according to Orihime, it looked like a cape-wearing dog riding a unicycle. Without a helmet. Or that little dust bunny in the corner. It tickled her fingers when she picked it up and cradled it in the cusp of her hands.

Uryu allowed himself to be dragged by her around the large division, completely and utterly resigned to his temporary fate. At eight in the morning, he did not exactly feel like protesting against anything; he would not have rebelled even if Orihime insisted that he help her cook up breakfast for the entire fourth squad. Which, in reality, was a possibility that might not be too far off.

When they'd stepped into the fourth division the previous day, after hearing Yume's judgment passed by Yamamoto, they had immediately been sent to Unohana's quarters, where she then accepted them for a short chat and cup of hot tea. Uryu had declined the beverage, and Orihime had accepted but burned her tongue, an incident that she still lamented to the present moment. Unohana had given them several searching looks while asking what their abilities were; she knew what Orihime could do, as she had been one of those who'd gone to Hueco Mundo in a rescue party, but she wanted to know if there was anything else the pair of ryoka could do. Anything like sewing, for instance; apparently, they had great need of a seamstress to help create and mend uniforms for the shinigami in their squad. Uryu had volunteered; he severely regretted the action now, though. When Unohana said they had 'great need' of someone who could sew, she really did mean _great_ need. The bespectacled Quincy had spent over half of the remaining part of the day stitching and repairing clothing, and, after the task was partially done, had been relieved of his duty to help Orihime in the kitchens. After the dinner they had produced, he was sure the fourth squad would never ask for their culinary aid again.

Still, it had been fun, cooking and baking with Orihime. Though he was tired enough to simply drop to the floor and lie there for the remainder of the night, Uryu found great comfort in her presence. Her bright and tireless spirit was what fueled him to continue dragging on through his exhaustion, and he found that it was only after they had finished cooking that he actually began to feel tired again; Orihime's exuberance had driven away all thoughts of weariness during the process. But, of course, even Orihime's unending cheer was not enough to keep the hard day's work from catching up to Uryu. After they'd finished cleaning up after themselves, he'd managed to get in a little more sewing squeezed in before retiring for the day, and had finally shuffled off to bed at three o'clock in the morning. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was, quite literally, "out like a light." His sleep was comfortable, deep, and pleasantly undisturbed.

And then, of course, he was woken up at eight in the morning by Orihime's distinct smell of honey and flowers and her airy voice right beside his head. It was not the most unpleasant way to wake up, no, not in the least, but still…eight in the morning was very early for someone who'd worked nonstop the day before.

So now Uryu walked slightly slumped over and wordless behind Orihime as she bounced from hallway to hallway, tirelessly scampering around shinigami who, like him, were just beginning to wake, or others who had gone to bed slightly earlier than the two and returned her greetings with cheerful amiability. They hadn't been here long, only half a day or so, but Orihime had already implanted herself in the fourth squad's familial ranks. It did not surprise him.

"Ishida-kun, I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" Orihime asked, reaching her arms out in an airplane's position as she smiled brightly at a passing shinigami. Uryu shook his head.

"No, not really, Inoue-san," he replied. "We can get something if you like, though."

"Mmm," Orihime murmured, sticking out her tongue as she thought, "I want to eat something interesting. Something yummy. But I don't want it to be hot…my tongue still hurts from the tea from yesterday. Hmmm…"

She placed her arms back at her sides and stared down at her burnt tongue sadly, keeping it poked out just a little bit between her lips. Uryu glanced at it. It was very small and very pink. Cute.

Feeling a flush stain his cheeks bright red, he clumsily pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and stood a little straighter. He was tired, working on an impressive total of five hours of sleep. He must not be thinking straight.

"I'm sure Unohana-san has something cool for you to eat," he said in a deceivingly calm voice.

"Alright," Orihime said, pulling her tongue back into her mouth. Uryu blinked. She did it so fast, like a lizard flicking its tongue in and out, in and out. Maybe she was part lizard. Wait…what was he thinking? He needed sleep, or food, or something, fast, because his thoughts were beginning to make less and less sense.

"I think I want…ice cream!" Orihime interrupted his bewildered train of thought. "Yes, ice cream! With…ummn…cherries and a little sprinkle of wasabi and soy sauce and…hummmn…"

_Or maybe we could just get vanilla…_Uryu felt like suggesting. But, giving Orihime another glance and seeing just how much she enjoyed it, he let her fantasize about what kinds of ice cream she would be able to mix. He was not even sure that Soul Society _had_ ice cream, in the first place.

"Let's ask Unohana if she has ice cream, first," Uryu said, catching Orihime's attention as she continued to ramble off a list of…interesting…ice cream combinations. The girl bobbed her honey-haired head up and down and followed him as he made his way to Unohana's office. People were already mostly up and about, minus the few shinigami who preferred to sleep in. However, with the beginning of the war less than two weeks away, there were very few of those. Everyone was going somewhere, doing something; it all made Uryu wonder what the rest of their group was doing at the moment, contributing to the cause. Heck, it made _him _wonder what _he_ was contributing, and why. Hadn't the shinigami wiped out his entire clan?

Unohana, as it turned out, did not keep ice cream in stock. She did say, however, that there were several small creameries located near the eighth division. It was a long way to walk, and they wouldn't be able to make it there, buy and eat their ice cream, and get back before ten o'clock unless Uryu used Hirenkyaku, the Quincy equivalent of a shun-po, but that would simply be a waste of needed energy. Energy that he was dangerously low on. Luckily, Unohana found a reason for them to travel towards the eighth division, anyway; she needed them to deliver several packages of newly-tailored uniforms (thanks to Uryu's hard work) to help contribute to the division's low supply.

Orihime was willing to take the opportunity, as it meant she would be able to get her ice cream, and Uryu, though he dreaded the thought of walking nearly three miles, assented because of the delivery. So it was that they stumbled out, both of them, with their arms filled with two bundles of shinigami uniforms each, to walk all the way to the eighth division, for two ice cream cones, and a contribution to a war that Uryu was not even sure he should be participating in.

* * *

Yume was bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored.

Letting out a long, drawn-out groan, she pressed her cheek against the cool, smooth surface of Byakuya's desk and sighed. It was a good thing he wasn't looking; he probably would have gotten mad, though of course he would not show it. But no, Byakuya was over by the door, talking to yet another seated shinigami from his division. Yume had tried listening in on their conversations more than once before, but had always been bored out of her mind by what they said. Maybe Byakuya purposely made it boring so she wouldn't want to listen in. Or maybe he was just boring.

"Byaaaa-kuunnn," Yume called, still slumping over the stoic captain's desk. She stared in front of her, studying the neatly-placed inkwells and crisp, folded papers. Just like him: clean, precise, and not a speck out of place. Boring.

Byakuya ignored her call, continuing his conversation with the shinigami before him. Yume could tell the man respected his captain a lot, maybe even feared him; she could hear the slight tremors in his voice when Byakuya began to grow short with him. She yawned, arching her back a little before shifting her cheek against the desk again into a more comfortable position. Yume knew Byakuya would stop talking soon; he wasn't one for conversation, and tried to keep most to a minimum of two minutes. If it lasted much longer than three, he grew irritated. He hid it well, but there were those little signs that betrayed his annoyance: the tiny lines around his mouth, the way his speech grew even more clipped and short, a slight darkening of his already-shadowy eyes. It might take a person years to notice such little differences, but Yume had had experience.

_Don't speak of that, _Setsuna's cold voice cut into Yume's thoughts. Yume let out another yawn and shifted lazily in her casual position again.

_I'm not speaking of it, I'm thinking of it, _she returned, and giggled when Setsuna snorted in her head.

_You complete and utter _child_, _the other girl rebuked her. _Just…don't have anything to do with that topic again. The past is the past. It's over. Done with. Gone. We don't have to worry about Dono-san or Skinner or any of those people ever again._

_Sounds like you're the one who's having a hard time 'letting it go,' _Yume pointed out blandly. _That's kind of harsh of you, to lump Dono-san in the same category as Skinner. _

The girl's bright eyes dimmed, her mind floating far away from the present moment as a memory came, swift and fluid. A smile, sarcastic chuckle, a long-fingered hand on her head as its owner ruffled her hair like a parent amused with his child…

_Dono-san taught us everything we know, _Yume thought quietly. _We should be grateful._

_Grateful! _Setsuna repeated incredulously. _Yume, you know what he did? What he wanted to do with you, what he had planned for all of us? It's better that we're never going to see him again!_

_Hmm. Maybe, _Yume replied. She blinked, her eyes regaining their shine as Byakuya finally finished talking with his subordinate and turned back into his office, where she sat slumped over his desk.

_But then…I kind of miss him…_

"Yamazaki, please lift yourself from my desk. I would rather you _not_ slump over it."

Yume blinked in surprise at the sound of Byakuya's calm voice, and found herself staring at a white, slender hand pressed against the desk she was currently slouching on. She studied it with interest and a small smile, noting the elegant way Byakuya's fingers were shaped, the paleness of his skin as soft as flawless, creamy porcelain.

"Bya-kun has girl hands," she said with a giggle. Byakuya's hand immediately left the desk, and he pinned it at his side forcefully.

"Yamazaki. My desk."

With a tiny sigh, Yume forced herself to straighten and sit up in her chair. Byakuya walked around the desk to sit in his, where he immediately began to sort and sign various papers in their perfectly neat piles. After a silent moment, Yume drummed her fingers on his desk, hoping to catch his attention. He ignored her. She frowned and drummed harder, but still the only noise was the crisp shifting of paper.

"Bya-kun," she said. There was no answer, of course; Yume wondered if he was still angry with her for being assigned her supervisor. She bit her lip, hard, and rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. It wasn't like she _wanted _to be stuck with him all day. Sure, Byakuya was an interesting person. He just chose to be so mind-shockingly _boring_.

"Byakuya-kun, are you mad?" Yume asked.

"There is nothing to be mad about," came the quiet, collected reply. Yume perked up in her chair; she'd gotten him to talk to her!

"Are you mad because Yama-sama made you my warden?" she asked.

"I am not mad, Yamazaki."

"Because I would be mad, if I were you, and I was assigned to watch someone I barely knew, and whose sister had tried to attack you. But if _I _was assigned to someone, me, just myself, I think I'd be happy, because it'd mean I got to get to know someone more, you know? And I think —"

"Yamazaki." Byakuya had closed his eyes after she'd started to speak, obviously trying to calm down before he did something irrational. She could tell he was irritated; there were the lines around his mouth again, and, as she watched, his chest expanded widely several times with deep, calming breaths.

"Yeah?" she asked sweetly, pretending not to notice that he was annoyed with her. He opened his eyes again, and turned his head, ever so slightly, to stare somberly at her.

"I am not mad, Yamazaki," he said quietly. "I am simply trying to finish signing my papers."

"Then you don't care that Yama-sama assigned you to watch me?"

Byakuya returned his gaze to his papers and lifted the pen in his hand, continuing to write even as he spoke. "If Yamamoto-taichou wants me to perform a duty, I have no other choice but to comply. It is part of my responsibility as a captain under him."

Yume smiled and tilted her head at him. "Duty's pretty important to you, isn't it, Bya-kun?"

"Yes," he replied stoically. She could hear the firmness in his voice. "Duty is what binds everything into place, what gives us a purpose and the ability to live up to that purpose. Without duty, we would not be a great society; we would be lawless animals with dangerous powers and abilities, nothing more, and nothing less."

Yume simply stared at him for a moment, blinking as he continued to sign and fold papers, proceeding with his task as if he had never spoken. She grinned and let out a tiny, lilting laugh. "Neh, that was pretty deep, Bya-kun! I wouldn't think of you as that kind of person. But I guess you're pretty good at hiding things like that, huh?"

Byakuya looked up at her in silent surprise, wrinkling his eyebrows by a fraction as he frowned. "What?" he asked.

Yume laughed and jumped up from her chair, reaching her arms for the ceiling as she twirled and stretched at the same time, her feet tumbling clumsily beneath her in a crippled ballerina's dance. "Nothing, nothing!" she said. "I was just thinkin' out loud. You know? You ever do that, Bya-kun?"

Byakuya slowly shook his head, staring stoically at her with somber black-grey eyes. "No," he replied.

Yume shrugged her shoulders and ambled away from him, towards the opposite wall and the large window it supported. "Neh, never mind," she said. _The main thing is, I got you away from _that_ topic._

Rubbing one ankle against the other, she stared out the window with a dull sigh. She was bored again, now. Byakuya had returned to his work, albeit hesitantly; she could tell he was a bit perplexed by her behavior. Peering out at the expanse of the sixth division, or what she could see of it from her vantage point, Yume let her eyes wander. Almost everyone was staying inside, working hard to somehow prepare for the war looming on the horizon. If anyone did go outside, it was to hurry somewhere else; everyone had a destination, something in mind that they had to do. Everyone but her. She was stuck inside, staring out a window at a freedom that she could be enjoying, if only Byakuya weren't so god-freaking _boring_—

A sudden burst of bubbly laughter caught her attention, and Yume's eyes snapped over to the corner of her limited vision. She saw two figures walking down the path between the building she was in and the one across from her, one of them clothed in white, the other in a pink shirt and pale skirt. A smile lit her face as she recognized Orihime and Uryu, both of them holding folded shinigami uniforms in their arms. They were walking side by side, Uryu with an embarrassed half-smile on his face, Orihime with her mouth open wide in bubbly laughter. Yume grinned and glanced at Byakuya, briefly considering the possibility of simply barging out of her imprisonment to join them in their merry-making. But looking back at them as they drew nearer, she noticed the way Uryu's cheeks were tinged with a faint blush, and how his eyes wandered towards his feet whenever Orihime smiled at him (which was often), his face growing even redder when she did. Orihime seemed oblivious to his embarrassment; she continued to ramble on about whatever she was talking about, giggling whenever she thought of something funny.

Yume pulled away from the window with a small smile, watching silently as they continued down the dusty street, until she could no longer follow them with her eyes. Then, she grinned abruptly, perking up and whirling to face Byakuya.

"Bya-kun, I wanna go for a walk."

* * *

Orihime let out a surprised squeal, clutching her temple and squeezing her ice cream cone in her other hand. "Aaaah! Brain freeze!" she shrieked.

She and Uryu were sitting on a bench near the little shop that sold ice creams in the eighth division. The shinigami selling the frozen goods had looked bored, like he'd had nothing better to do than wait for customers, when he really should have been somehow preparing for the upcoming war. Still, as long as it stilled the rumbling in his stomach, Uryu couldn't have cared less about what the man was supposed to be doing.

There weren't many people around, and those that did show up were always rushing somewhere, on their way to get something important done. In other words, Uryu and Orihime were alone on their little bench in the middle of the eighth division. The fact in itself was enough to make him slightly self-conscious. He did prefer their solitude to the stressful rush he'd recently experienced, though. There was something peaceful about this moment, something calming in the light breeze shifting their hair about their faces and Orihime's contented humming as she hungrily lapped at her ice cream. Leaning back against the bench's solid frame, Uryu let a haze of tranquility slip over him, savoring a moment he knew he was lucky to enjoy.

"Neh, Ishida-kun," Orihime said to his right, "you're not going to ask the man for some extra toppings?"

Ah, yes — toppings. Toppings, toppings, toppings. It looked like Orihime could never get enough of them. She'd asked for a strawberry ice cream, which seemed innocent enough, but hadn't even considered stopping there. From there it had been a long swirl of chocolate syrup mixed in with the strawberry, a thick drizzling of hot, almost molten soy sauce, a sprinkling of chopped lima beans (who knew why the ice cream shinigami even had them, in the first place?), a scattering of brightly-colored candy sprinkles, and a cheery-red cherry on the very top of the ice cream's little swirl. All in all, Uryu had to admit it was an impressive display, if somewhat daunting. He hadn't been able to believe Orihime would actually be able to eat the entire thing, let alone stomach it, but she never ceased to surprise him.

"Ah, no, Inoue-san. This is fine," he replied, looking down at his own ice cream. He'd chosen vanilla; just plain, familiar vanilla, a flavor he'd come to prefer for its simplicity. Orihime had disapproved of his choice, insisting that it needed some sort of zest to it, a spray of color or form of seasoning. Uryu had politely declined, fearing what would happen if he let her persuade him. He would probably have to hurry for the nearest bathroom before he even took a second lick. Besides, what was wrong with vanilla? It was simple, sweet and uncomplicated; it didn't need anything added to it.

Orihime hummed as she licked at her ice cream, picking up the cherry by its stem with her teeth. It disappeared into her mouth, and when it popped back out again, all that was left was the green stem. Orihime giggled and removed it, moving on to eat the hardened drizzling of soy sauce coating the ice cream. Uryu watched with something alike to horror as she consumed it full-heartedly, not even wincing at what he knew must be a repulsive taste. Considering it was Orihime, though, the bizarreness of her treat probably only made it tastier to her.

Seeing him staring at her ice cream, the honey-haired girl mistook the expression on Uryu's face for interest, and all of sudden, the blue-eyed Quincy had an up-close view of the offending dessert. He blinked in surprise and pulled his head back a little bit, wrinkling his nose at the smell.

"Want to try some, Ishida-kun?" Orihime asked. "It's really good!"

"Ah," Uryu said tactfully, backing up even more at the prospect of actually _tasting_ the atrocious ice cream. "I'm sorry, Inoue-san…I don't particularly like strawberry."

"Aw," Orihime pouted, pulling the ice cream back to herself. "Why not?"

"It's too strong of a flavor," Uryu answered, tasting his own frozen treat. "I prefer vanilla."

Orihime brightened, a happy smile lighting up her face. "I do too! But not just by itself…with all sorts of toppings, like hot sauce and cheese, and even pepperoni. I think strawberry is my favorite, though; it's so sweet, and I don't think it's too strong of a flavor at all."

Uryu nodded silently, absorbing the fact and swallowing it reluctantly. He hadn't necessarily been talking about the flavor at all, and what bothered him was that he didn't know if Orihime had or hadn't been, either. The Quincy paused, staring down at his own dessert-breakfast, which was beginning to melt in his hands. Orihime had offered him hers; should he offer her a taste of his ice cream? Would she decline, or would she do something unspeakable to it, like add cheese or pepperoni?

In the end, the words slipped out before he could stop them. Uryu held out his own ice cream, silently offering it before speaking.

"Would you like to try mine, Inoue-san?"

Orihime giggled and, to his complete surprise, turned as bright a red as the cherry she had eaten not too long ago. "Yes please, Ishida-kun," she said, reaching out to take it in her other hand.

A loud, high-pitched noise sounded from behind a nearby building, making both Uryu and Orihime jump. They exchanged twin expressions of questioning confusion. The noise had sounded much like a female squeaking very loudly, and Uryu frowned at the thought that someone might be spying on them. He slowly got to his feet, and on a complete impulse, called out the name of the person he most expected to be hiding behind the building.

"Yamazaki-san?" he said.

The same person who'd made the noise let out a low, loud groan. "Aww, see what you did, Bya-kun? They've found us out."

Uryu was not surprised to see Yume step out from behind the building, a sheepish smile on her flushed face, but he _was_ surprised to see Byakuya follow, a stoic mask hiding any kind of emotion from the glacial captain's face. He remembered that Byakuya was supposed to be supervising Yume, but he hadn't thought him to be the kind who would actually accompany her on spying missions.

"Kuchiki-taichou, you didn't actually…" he said, pausing before he could utter the word 'squeak.' Byakuya gave Uryu a chilly, unreadable look, but there was no missing the sharp glint in his dark grey eyes.

"No," he said firmly. "I was not the one to make such a childish noise."

"Childish?" Yume protested, looking back at Byakuya as she walked forward to meet Uryu. "Hey, I was surprised and happy! Let me squeak every now and then."

"What were you doing spying on us?" Uryu asked dryly. Yume's grin grew even more embarrassed, and she rubbed the back of her head.

"Who said we were spying on you?" she asked. "Maybe I wanted an ice cream and…tripped over a rock and squeaked."

"You were spying?" Orihime asked in surprise, rising from the bench. She looked over at Byakuya, her grey eyes wide. "And you too, Kuchiki-taichou?"

Byakuya turned his emotionless gaze on her. "No," he said again. "Yamazaki wanted to go for a walk, and promised that if I let her go she would stop distracting me while I was working. It was too good to pass up."

"Hey!" Yume squawked in protest. "I'm not that bad."

Byakuya closed his eyes silently, pointedly ignoring her, but Uryu read the message loud and clear: _yes, you are._ Yume pushed her lower lip out in a pout and folded her arms over her chest with a short _hmph._ "Well, maybe I wouldn't have to be such a 'distraction' if you weren't so boring," she muttered under her breath. Byakuya continued to ignore her presence, remaining as silent as a stiff, marble statue.

Uryu cleared his throat, wanting to disrupt the awkward moment, and Yume suddenly aimed a wide grin at him. "Sooo, Ishida-kun," she said in a teasing tone, "what were you doing _all the way out here_, all _alone_ with Inoue-chan?"

The dark-haired Quincy felt his face turning hot and quickly busied himself with his glasses. At his side, Orihime smothered a tiny, embarrassed smile and a soft giggle. "N-nothing, Yamazaki-san," Uryu replied, trying to sound unruffled by her suggestive comment. "Unohana-taichou asked us to deliver several uniforms to the eighth division, and Inoue-san was hungry, so we stopped for an ice cream."

Yamazaki's smile would have easily put the Cheshire cat's to shame. "Riiiiiigggghht," she said. "And I just came over here for an ice cream, like I so truthfully said I did." The blue-eyed girl wandered over to Orihime's side and looped an arm over the taller girl's shoulder.

"So, Inoue-chan, what'd you two _really _do while I wasn't here? You can tell me. Was Ishida-kun trying to be kinky with you?"

This last sentence was whispered in Orihime's ear, but Yume had no skill in being quiet, and Uryu heard it loud and clear. Even if he hadn't, the stunned look on Orihime's face and the way she turned deep red from the roots of her hair to the tip of her toes would have given her away. He felt himself turn even redder, and Yume gave him a wide grin. There was nothing remotely innocent about it.

Orihime raised her eyes to his, but looked immediately down at her feet when he returned her gaze. He did not miss the tiny smile that she tried to hide by biting her lip.

Byakuya just stood there like his normal silent self, taking it all in with a slightly bored expression.

Yume spotted the melting ice cream in Orihime's hand and abandoned her goal to make Uryu uncomfortable. "Are you going to eat that?" she asked, pointing to the strawberry-and-chocolate treat. When Orihime said no, the girl immediately took it from her and vigorously began to eat.

Uryu remembered something that held some importance and turned to Yume with a somewhat suppressed and sly smile. "Yamazaki-san, isn't there something you're forgetting?"

Yume looked up at him over her ice cream, pausing in the act of licking some of the soy sauce off. "Uh?" she questioned.

"Your trial starts at ten o'clock. Are you sure you're not going to be late? Shouldn't you be training or somehow preparing for it?"

The ice cream, which had been precariously placed in the first place, teetered off its cone and fell with a wet splat on the ground by Yume's feet. The blue-eyed girl let out another loud squeak and rushed to Byakuya's side.

"Bya-kun, what time is it?" she asked frantically. "Am I going to be late?"

Byakuya paused, thinking before giving his answer. "It's been about an hour and forty-five minutes," he answered smoothly. "Your trial starts in less than twenty minutes."

Yume blanched considerably and gripped the sleeve of his captain's cloak, tugging insistently on it. "Then we've got to hurry, come on! We can't be late! Bya-kun, you know the way, right?"

"Yes…"

"Then let's go! Ishida-kun, Inoue-chan, you coming?"

"Of course, Yamazaki-san," Uryu replied, now feeling slightly guilty for bringing up the trial in such a brusque manner. Yume beckoned with one hand, and the trio followed Byakuya as he walked away, Uryu discarding his dessert as they went. He looked to Orihime as they broke into a fast walk, straining to keep up with Byakuya's long stride. She looked at him and gave him a big, bright smile, and he could not help but feel thankful that she was not so embarrassed about Yume's comments that she would avoid him.

"Hurry, you two!" Yume called from a little ways up ahead. "Hurry!"

"Coming!" Uryu called, and quickened his pace.

* * *

Mayuri had been waiting in the competition grounds for a while now, concealed in the crowd of shinigami that had showed up to watch the new ryoka fight against the 2nd division captain, Soifon. He could not help but chuckle quietly to himself; what a perfect opportunity to observe his new specimen, Yume Yamazaki! There was nothing she would be able to hide now, not with old Yamamoto on her case. And if she did somehow manage to conceal things, he was sure that he would reveal them eventually. He could even use her friends to get to her, if he needed to, though he really preferred to use that as a last resort. With luck, he wouldn't need to go that far.

The twelfth division captain glanced down at a small clipboard he had brought with him, just in case he wanted to take notes on Yume's performance, and jotted down the first few sentences.

"_**Subject: Yume Yamazaki**_

_**Known facts: not much."**_

_But not for long…_

* * *

A/N: Well...that was actually my longest chapter yet. O-o

Next chapter will be…you guessed it, the trial! Soifon vs. Yume. Will Yume win? Will Byakuya ever warm up to his "charge?" Will I ever be allowed to drink coffee again? All will be revealed in the next chapter! Well, not the coffee thing…though I may include it in my disclaimer. Hmmn, that's an idea…

Leave a review, please please please! It makes me sooo happy. And if you're too lazy to review, well…nothin' much I can do about that. Except say this: kaaarrrmaaaa. :D

-Next chapter: Competitions

P.S. Death Note came out in theaters for two days over here in America! Hurray! I'd seen it before, but it's different to see it on the big screen. I was a very happy fan girl for about…oh, two hours or so. I could see Ryuk's entire outfit because the screen was so wide and big…my mom went to see it with me, and the first thing she said she thought when she saw Ryuk come on the screen was, "Oh, boots! He wears pointy boots!"

Just a little thought to leave you with: Ryuk wears very pointy boots.

:D

-Kimsa


	13. Thirteen: Competitions

Thanks for all of your reviews! They make me all warm and fuzzy inside…

Thirteenth chapter is here! As you know, the trial will be taking place in this chapter. Ah, another fight scene! Our favorite!

Disclaimer goes to…-drum roll- Rukia Kuchiki!

Rukia: Eh? Why me?

Me: Because you're short. And you have a funny last name.

Rukia: I am not _short_! I'm vertically challenged. And my last name's not funny!!

Me: How tall are you? 4"9? 5"1? You can't be more than 5"2. And yes, it is kind of funny sounding; Ku-chik-iiiii.

Rukia: Grrr…

Me: Agh! Beware the wrath of the Kuchiki! Run for your life before she whips out her pen and starts to _draw_!

Rukia: Dance, Sode no Shirayuki.

Me: Snap...

Rukia: -draws crude rabbit imitation of me- See this person? This is Kimsa Ki-Lurria. She does not own Bleach. –draws Yume rabbit- She only owns her OC.

Me: …..-is still frozen-

Rukia: -smirk-

* * *

Thirteen

Competitions

Uryu submitted to the push and pull of the crowd around him, slipping through the maze of people as smoothly as a fish gliding down a current. Orihime's hand was gripping his tightly, keeping her from being swept away as more and more shinigami gathered to see Yume's trial.

Sidling past one last person obstructing his view, Uryu abruptly found himself looking down into a wide, dirt training field. He and Orihime stood high above it on a long stretch of grass, people clamoring around them. Someone nudged into Uryu, and he hastily took a step back as he came to close to the edge; the ground cut off sharply just a couple feet in front of him, and the drop to the floor of the arena was one that made his stomach twist queasily.

"Ishida-kun," Orihime whispered, tugging lightly on his hand, "let's scoot back a bit. This is too close to the edge."

Uryu nodded, agreeing wordlessly, and allowed others to take his spot as he moved backwards.

"Hey! Ishida! Inoue!"

Both turned at the sound of their names and saw Ichigo, Rukia and Chad at his side, pushing through the people as he made his way towards them.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime said brightly, giving him a dazzling smile. "We've been wondering where you were."

"Uh? Oh hey, Inoue," Ichigo replied. "Sorry we're kind of late; _Rukia_ wanted to 'make up for lost time' with her ex-division members. I didn't know she could talk that much for that long."

"Hey!" Rukia said, giving him an indignant glare. "I haven't seen them in a while."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at her. "Right. Anyway, it must have paid off, because Ukitake's offered to save us some seats over where he's sitting. I'd take them if I were you; it looks like half of Soul Society is here!"

"They all probably want to see how strong she is," Uryu said. "They want to see if the rumors about her strange power are true."

Rukia nodded at him. "Right. Plus the fact that she had the guts to attack my onii-sama in the first place is impressive in itself." She smirked, her eyes gleaming with a sort of smug pride as she folded her arms over her chest.

Ichigo shrugged indifferently, ignoring the possible message embedded in her words. He sent a quick glance over at the empty dueling field. "Well, where is she? It's _her_ future being decided."

"She came here with us," Uryu supplied, frowning slightly. "But I don't know what's holding her."

"Maybe Kuchiki-taichou wanted to give her a bit of advice?" Orihime suggested.

"Ha!" Ichigo said, tilting his head back as he let out a short bark of a laugh. "Byakuya wouldn't give anyone advice if his life depended on it. His pride's worth more to him."

"Hey!" Rukia protested, giving him another of her infamous glares. "That's my onii-sama you're talking about."

"Yeah, unfortunately."

"Why don't you show us those seats you mentioned?" Uryu interrupted, afraid that they would get into another of their long-winded arguments. They all knew that those could go on forever; Ichigo and Rukia were so much like an old, bickering couple that Uryu had secretly begun to call them that in his mind. "The trial should be starting any second now."

"Uh…yeah, sorry," Ichigo said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Alright, then follow me."

It was almost a struggle to keep up with him as Ichigo led them through the growing crowd of shinigami; people jostled them from all sides as they strained to get a better view of the trial field. Uryu saw several captains he recognized; there was Komamura, unknowingly intimidating the people around him with his sheer size and getting a free spot out of it, too; and there, making their way towards the edge of the training field, were Matsumoto and Hitsugaya, the latter's set in a perpetual scowl as his lieutenant cajoled him at his side. Mayuri was there, too; the twelfth division captain was surrounded by his subordinates, all of whom were clamoring about him, trying to get his attention as they clutched clipboards in their skinny hands. They reminded Uryu of a pack of seagulls desperately seeking to distract a hungry shark from its hunt.

He could not find Nemu among the chattering rabble that circled Mayuri. Maybe she'd been ordered to stay back in her division?

Ukitake sat with his two highest seats and Shunsui, who was currently, and unsuccessfully, trying to woo Nanao, his black-haired lieutenant. Uryu mentally wrinkled his nose at the thought of sitting close to the man; although he'd heard that he was quite powerful (as Chad reluctantly told them, due to first-hand experience), Uryu did not deny the fact that the captain's legendarily flirtatious and boisterous demeanor were most likely going to test the limits of his patience in the next few moments.

_You could learn a thing or two from him, _a sly voice said in the back of his mind. _Inoue-san might be more accepting than Nanao-san, anyway._

Feeling his cheeks turn bright red, Uryu ruthlessly quashed the thought before it could even become a possibility to him. He would find a different way of appealing to Inoue-san; one that did not involve wearing pink haoris and reciting terrible, clichéd love poetry.

The imagined sight of him doing so almost made him physically ill.

Ukitake greeted their small group with polite enthusiasm, and Shunsui likewise so. Nanao was, much to her annoyance, introduced by him as the "lovely, ravishing, beautiful Nanao-chan," which earned him a sharp rap by her ever-present tome.

The crowd finally began to settle down, shinigami taking their seats around the edge of the training field. Orihime had wandered over by Ichigo, her bubbly giggle reaching Uryu as he found himself a seat and sat down. The pumpkin-haired girl smiled at something Ichigo said, leaning marginally towards him.

"Kurosaki-kun, that's not very nice to say," she chided jokingly.

Uryu watched in silence, noting the way Orihime's eyes lit up with a bright, sparkling light when Ichigo spoke to her. The orange-haired boy was her world. He could make her happy simply by looking her way, and made her glow when he uttered a single word to her. She worshipped him.

And he was oblivious to it all, the undeserving, uncompassionate, brutish bas—

"You know, you get better results if you actually _talk_ to them."

Uryu jumped and turned to see Shunsui kneeling next to him, giving him a friendly smile.

"E-excuse me?" he asked. "I don't…"

"What I mean is, you'd get a lot more done if you at least spoke to her," Shunsui replied. "They like it when you compare their beauty to something poetic. Or recite romantic verses from their favorite poem. Or caress their hair, or run your hand along their —"

"Shunsui-taichou!" Nanao had snuck up from nowhere behind him, and abruptly cut her captain off with a sharp smack with her tome. "Don't give him any ideas. We don't need you corrupting the living world's youth."

"My Nanao-chan is too quick to judge," Shunsui protested, tenderly rubbing the spot where she'd whacked him. "I was simply giving the boy a few tips."

"He doesn't need tips," Nanao replied. "He can handle this on his own. And you know, not every woman likes it when you do…_those_ things."

"But you do," Shunsui said with a smile. "Right, Nanao-chan?"

"I…" Nanao's face turned bright red. "I do _not_. I simply put up with it."

"That's what she says," Shunsui whispered in Uryu's ear, not seeming to notice the awkward situation he'd placed the bespectacled Quincy in. "But I know that she likes it…"

Nanao's tome was, once again, raised threateningly over his head. Shunsui cowered, weakly trying to ward off the blow.

"Aahh, my Nanao-chan is too cruel," he whimpered. Nanao slowly retracted her book, giving him a warning glance. Shunsui aimed his attention towards Uryu once more, motioning discreetly to Orihime.

"She seems like a nice girl. If I were you, I would try talking to her more often. Not that I doubt you talk to her; from the way you two came over, I can tell you're very good friends. It's just _what_ you talk about. Don't be afraid to open up once in a while. Women like it when we do that." Shunsui gave Uryu a wolfish grin, chuckling as the black-haired boy shifted uncomfortably.

Orihime, pausing in her talking as Rukia approached Ichigo, cast a glance over the crowd. She met Uryu's gaze and broke into a dazzling smile, wandering over to join him and Shunsui.

"She likes you well enough, Quincy-san," Shunsui said, slowly rising to his feet as he watched the pumpkin-haired girl draw near. "All she needs is a little revelation; the rest will take care of itself in due time."

Uryu blinked up at the man in surprise, watching as he tilted his large hat and offered a lopsided grin.

"Well, I will leave you two alone," he said. "We've got to find our seats again before someone takes them; it seems more and more people are coming in by the second! Nanao-chan?"

Nanao scowled at his offered arm as if it had offended her. "I don't need assistance to walk, taichou," she said, and walked huffily away. Shunsui grinned knowingly at Uryu and Orihime, giving them a mischievous wink before sauntering after his lieutenant.

"What was Shunsui-taichou talking to you about, Ishida-kun?" Orihime asked, blinking at him with her large grey eyes.

"Ah…nothing," Uryu hurriedly replied. "Nothing, Inoue-san."

"Oh," Orihime said, and stared awkwardly at the space between her feet. Uryu pulled uncomfortably at the tufts of grass by his side, feeling his face heat up again.

_Just a little revelation…and the rest will take care of itself_, he remembered Shunsui saying.

"Actually, Inoue-san," he said quietly, keeping his eyes on the ground. Orihime's head immediately bounced up, an inquisitive light brightening her gaze.

"Yes, Ishida-kun?"

"I…well…" Uryu couldn't seem to make himself look at her. _Say something, you idiot! _His mind screamed at him.

"Inoue-san, I —"

"My fellow shinigami," Yamamoto's voice rang out onto the now-hushed throng of spectators. With a start, Uryu realized that the entire crowd had seated themselves; the Commander-General was the only one standing, towering over the attending shinigami like a king lording over his subjects.

"We are here to witness a trial that will decide the future of the ryoka named Yume Yamazaki. I am sure you all know what Yamazaki's crime is; she went against the entire structure of the Seireitei by launching a direct attack against one of the captains of the Gotei 13."

A gasp rippled through the crowd, shinigami nodding their heads in admiring awe, or shaking them in blatant disapproval. Uryu jumped as a slight brush of air announced Byakuya and Yume's sudden arrival; both the stoic captain and the lively ryoka stood slightly off to Rukia's side, startling her as well.

"Hey, everyone!" Yume whispered loudly. "We're late!"

"Byakuya-nii-sama, Yamazaki-san!" Rukia exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"Shhh!" Ichigo hissed, elbowing her in the side. Byakuya sent him a dark look, which Ichigo steadily ignored. "The old man's still talking."

"Tell you later, Kuchiki-chan," Yume said, motioning for her to be quiet.

"If Yamazaki wins this challenge, she will be allowed to stay within the Seireitei," Yamamoto continued. There was another ripple of noise throughout the shinigami; apparently, they didn't like the idea of a dangerous ryoka staying among their ranks, and couldn't understand why their Commander-General would let such a thing come to pass. Yamamoto silenced them as he began to speak again.

"Should she succeed in besting her opponent, she will be granted safety within our home. She is to be treated as equally as any shinigami within our ranks. There are to be no questions about this."

"Crazy old man," Ichigo muttered under his breath. "Of course there are going to be questions —"

"If our contestants will please step onto the arena," Yamamoto said, "we will begin the match."

Yume grinned confidently, waving to her friends. "Wish me luck!" she said, and shun-poed out of their sight, reappearing on the training field. Soifon joined her shortly, leaping down from the edge of the audience. The second division captain had dressed in the sleeveless outfit she always wore when in battle. Uryu did not think that she could look more serious if she tried; her entire posture shouted the severity of the atmosphere, clashing with Yume's seemingly carefree appearance. Upon sighting the large grin that graced the blue-eyed girl's features, Uryu bit back a groan. He didn't think she knew what she was getting into.

"The rules are simple," Yamamoto stated from his lookout over the arena. "There will be no foul play or cheating. Kidō is allowed. The winner will be determined as whoever is incapacitated first."

"Ah, I almost forgot!" Orihime exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "What was it you were going to say, Ishida-kun?"

"Nothing, Inoue-san. Forget I said anything."

Yamamoto paused, his eyes meeting Yume's. She met his gaze firmly and gave him a small smile.

At Uryu's side, Orihime drew in a shaky breath. "Best of luck, Yamazaki-chan," she whispered.

"Let the match begin!"

* * *

Yume felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her face and frowned, hoping that no one would notice. She wasn't nervous. Really, she wasn't. It was just Soifon. Just another of the captains of the Gotei 13. So what if she was the captain of the second division, right beneath Yama-sama? That didn't mean anything; Yoruichi had beat her before, so why couldn't Yume?

_Stop that. You're only going to frighten yourself more, _Setsuna chided from the back of her mind.

_Remember what we've learned, _Zazie advised, before Yume could protest that she was not "frightened." _Remember what Dono-san taught us. Can you do that? Do you remember what Soifon-san's weaknesses are?_

"Yes," Yume whispered hoarsely. Her hand wandered towards the hilt of her zanpakutou, and she clutched it tightly. "Yes, I remember."

_Then get on with it! _Setsuna exclaimed hotly. _Fight her! Take her down! And don't hesitate, or she'll stab you right in the heart. What a thanks for your mercy _that_ will be._

Yume swallowed convulsively and tightened the grip on her zanpakutou. _Right. I can do this. It's not like I'm powerless; quite the opposite, in fact. I know Soifon. I know her inside and out; her moves, her strategies, everything, right down from the kidō to the —_

_MOVE! _Setsuna shrieked in her mind.

Yume reacted immediately, shun-po'ing a short distance away as Soifon's foot crashed down where she had been a minute ago. The short-haired captain vanished a split second later, reappearing directly in Yume's face. She ducked without making a sound. The hair on her head ruffled as Soifon's kick passed dangerously close. Yume danced lightly away on her feet, giving her opponent a bright grin as she pranced out of reach.

_Lovely, _Setsuna said sarcastically. _You know, I really think you should have joined the ballet._

_I'm doing fine, _Yume replied, holding up her arms in a defensive position as Soifon aimed a quick punch at her head. She swept her own leg up, nearly catching the captain in her side. Soifon swiftly shun-poed out of reach and, giving Yume a baleful glare, positioned herself a short distance away.

Yume gave her another quick grin, her breath coming faster as her heartbeat sped up. _Look, nee-chan, I even forced her back a little bit._

_Don't sound so cocky, _Setsuna reprimanded her. _Look at her, Yume; does she look like she's frightened, even in the slightest?_

"No," Yume grudgingly admitted. Soifon was eyeing her warily, keeping her distance, but she did not look fearful.

_Then you haven't gained the upper hand yet, _Zazie said. _You have to get the upper hand. Try acting on our advantage; maybe Soifon-san will respond._

Yume nodded resolutely, setting her mouth in a determined line as she reached again for her zanpakutou. _I really don't like to drag things out, _she thought, pulling on its hilt just enough to show some of the steel blade. Soifon stiffened immediately. Yume could see the wariness in her gaze sharpen, along with a heavy dose of contempt. The captain thought that she was being hasty, rushing into things when she obviously had no skill.

_I'd like to wipe that smug look off her face, _Setsuna growled.

_Show her what Dono-san taught us to do, Yume-chan, _Zazie prompted._  
_"Alright," Yume said with a smile. "Hi-ho the merry-go, here—we—go!"

Soifon blinked in confusion at her, letting her guard down for a brief moment.

_There._

"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"

Soifon realized her mistake at the last minute. She tried to move out of the way, but the motion was in vain. Shinsō's blade shot forward, leaving a deep scratch on Soifon's bare arm. It continued through the shot and pierced the dirt wall behind the shocked captain.

Yume grinned at Soifon's surprise and retracted the long, whip-like blade, returning it to its shorter form. "You'd better be more prepared than that, Soifon-chan," she said. "That was just a warning glance. If I'd really meant to hit you, you'd be…out right now."

Soifon growled and fingered the cut on her arm. "You got lucky," she said, holding her zanpakutou out in front of her. "Next time it won't be that easy to draw blood."

"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!"

Her zanpakutou's shikai form released, the captain shun-poed out of sight, appearing to Yume's right. Yume jumped back just as her opponent stabbed at her, barely avoiding having the stinger-like blade lodged in her stomach. She grimaced and raised her zanpakutou in front of her, trying to fend off Soifon's advances.

_Crud…I forgot how fast she is…_

_Don't let her get close, _Setsuna advised. _Her attacks are close-ranged; with zanpakutous like Shinsō, we can beat her without ever getting close._

_Then I have to get _away _from her first. _Setting her mouth in a determined line, Yume shun-poed out of Soifon's strike range. She expected to have at least enough time to switch her zanpakutou's form, but Soifon stayed with her, Suzumebachi a blur on her finger. Yume ducked and dodged the attacks, straining not to get hit.

Soifon aimed an upper kick at her head, and Yume bent backwards at an awkward angle. Seeing her advantage, Soifon swept the younger girl's legs out from under her. The breath left Yume's lungs as she landed hard on her back. Her eyes widened and she let out a squeak as Soifon's zanpakutou came slashing down at her, rolling to her feet out of reflex. A sharp pain grazed the back of her hand as she came away, and she bit her lip in dismay as a butterfly bloomed in place of the torn skin.

Giving her a taunting smile, Soifon resumed her defensive position. "Now we're even," she said.

_Let me out! _Setsuna immediately demanded. _Let me out, Yume. I'm going to _kill _her —_

_No, nee-san, _Yume said firmly. _This is my fight._

"Way of destruction, number one: thrust. Shō."

Soifon dodged the kidō spell with ease, leaping into the air as the blast passed beneath her. Yume lifted her zanpakutou and aimed.

"Snap, Tobiume."

* * *

Uryu watched with an emotion akin to horror as Soifon sailed across arena, knocked aside like a rag doll by an explosion of pink energy. He, like everyone else, winced when she made contact with one of the field's walls. If she had been any regular, day-to-day human, she would have been dead at the moment.

Luckily for Soifon, she was much stronger and more resilient than any human, and came away from the attack with only a few smudges of ash and a slight breathing problem.

The variety of zanpakutous that Yume was able to imitate was, he admitted, actually kind of frightening. After Yume had blasted Soifon into a wall, the fight had gotten even more heated. The blue-eyed girl had switched her zanpakutou's form from Tobiume to Zabimaru to Senbonzakura, and finally back to Shinsō, which seemed to be one of her better-liked weapons.

Though he knew that she was a competitive and dangerous fighter, Uryu was surprised that Soifon had actually managed to last so long against Yume's endless array of zanpakutous. She might be able to hold her own against one weapon, but nearly an entire army? He could see that she was tiring quickly; her attacks were becoming more erratic, and the time between them was shortening as swiftly as a lit fuse.

"Yamazaki is not using it."

Uryu and Orihime both started at the sound of Byakuya's voice, and turned to stare at him. He sat behind them, his inscrutable gaze centered towards the arena, where Uryu could hear Yume and Soifon's zanpakutous colliding erratically.

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion.

"I mean," Byakuya said, averting his gaze back to them, "that I believe Yamazaki has an ulterior power. One that is solely hers, not borrowed, unlike the others."

"A…a different power?" Orihime repeated. "Have you seen it before, Kuchiki-taichou?"

"Yes," he replied. The stoic captain paused, a break appearing in his emotionless façade as an unknown feeling stole over his eyes. "I have seen her use it before, but away from others. I doubt anyone other than me knows about it."

"What does it do?" Uryu asked.

"…I am not entirely sure," Byakuya admitted, "but I believe that one of its abilities is to heal its owner."

He flicked his gaze back to the field, pupils dancing as he followed Yume's flitting movements. "I have not seen her use it since."

Uryu and Orihime exchanged confused, concerned stares, but before they could say anything, the clash of metal drew their attention back to the arena.

Yume and Soifon's blades were welded together in a battle of strength. Both girls pushed against the other's zanpakutou, propelling them in opposite directions. They were hunched over with exertion, their breath coming in short pants. Yume's arms were dotted with the butterfly-symbol of the hornet's crest, one blooming over her eyebrow and spreading over an entire side of her face. Soifon looked like a cat had just mistaken her for its scratching post; small, jagged cuts covered the expanse of her body, tearing parts of her uniform. The captain glared at Yume with all the hate one got from fighting an enemy that would not fall. It was obvious that she hadn't been expecting Yume to be so hard to beat.

"Hey!" Yume called from across the arena, waving her hand for Soifon to see. She gave her opponent a tired, if friendly, smile. "We're going nowhere with this. Shall we quit and call it a draw?"

Uryu heard the entire crowd of shinigami gasp at that, shifting and muttering to their neighbors. He stared down at Yume in bewilderment. What was she thinking?

The blue-eyed girl's peace offer only served to fuel Soifon more; she bristled at the statement and pointed her zanpakutou at Yume. "I'd rather die than surrender!" she spat. "I'm not going to lose to you, Yamazaki!"

Enraged, Soifon leapt across the arena, quickly closing the distance between her and her opponent. Yume watched her approach calmly, a disappointed expression on her face.

"Ah, fooey then," she said. "Raise your head, Wabisuke!"

Her zanpakutou changed form immediately, adopting the appearance of Kira's soul-cutter. Soifon reached Yume at that precise moment, and jabbed her blade towards the hornet's crest on the other girl's forehead. Yume brought up her zanpakutou and blocked the blow, darting away and quickly coming back to slash at Suzumebachi from all sides. Soifon snarled and tried to get a hit in, driving Yume away from her.

Yume remained where she was, a small distance from her opponent, and simply watched Soifon. Blinking in confusion, the second division captain took a step forward — and immediately crumpled to the floor.

"Wha…?" she growled, struggling to raise herself. It seemed as if her zanpakutou was glued to the ground, and no matter how hard Soifon pulled, she could not get it budge.

Yume grinned triumphantly. "Don't you know what Kira-kun's zanpakutou does, Soifon-san?" she asked. "You should really try to learn what everyone's soul-cutter does. That way you can expect the unexpected!"

"Shut up," Soifon hissed angrily. With enormous effort, she managed to raise her zanpakutou to the height of her hip, though still in a weakened position. Yume tensed, nodding her head at something no one could hear.

"Right, uh-huh," she muttered. "Soifon-san, Setsuna-nee-san says it's time for me to win."

Soifon merely grimaced, setting her features in a determined expression. Bracing herself, she lunged towards Yume, lifting her trembling arm to deliver the final blow. Yume watched her come, lifting her zanpakutou in front of her face. Soifon drew closer and closer, and with a wild cry, plunged her soul-cutter towards a hornet's crest on Yume's left shoulder.

"Alright," Yume said, "Chime, Suzumushi."

A high-pitched shriek sounded in the air, piercing Uryu's eardrums like red-hot pincers. He clapped his hands over his ears, screwing his eyes shut at the pain. Orihime was whimpering at his side. He'd been through this before, back when he'd had an accidental run-in with the traitorous captain of the ninth division, Kamame Tōsen. It had hurt back then, too, but it had lasted for only a split second; his hearing senses had been overloaded too quickly for him to be able to register lasting pain, and he had swiftly been rendered unconscious. Now, he was too far away to be knocked out, but Suzumushi's shrill cry still made his head ring.

It continued to ring, even after the noise had died down. He pried open his eyes, blinking at the sudden light, and, along with hundreds of other gazes, looked anxiously towards the center of the trial field.

Soifon was frozen in the position she had been in when Yume called out the command; her eyes were wide and unseeing, her gaze focused on something over Yume's head. Suzumebachi had stopped within a hair's breadth of the hornet's crest adorning the blue-eyed girl's shoulder, less than an inch away from ending Yume's life.

Said girl simply stood and stared as Soifon's eyes closed, the captain's body crumpling to the ground. Suzumebachi retreated to its sealed form by its owner's side, glinting admiringly up at the seemingly stunned ryoka.

Yume watched blankly as the hornets' crests melted away from her, leaving the original shallow cuts in their place. She willed her zanpakutou back into its sealed form and sheathed it silently. Then, still keeping quiet, she placed her hands together and bowed.

The crowd of shinigami exploded in a frenzy of noise. Some shouted, some cheered, and others jeered; it was a chaotic mixture of stunned praise and angry disappointment.

It did nothing to alleviate the ache in Uryu's ears.

Orihime let out a happy shriek and threw a fist in the air. "Yes, Yamazaki-chan won!" she yelled. "Gooooo, Yamazaki-chan! I knew you could do it!"

Byakuya remained as impassive and detached as ever behind them. Orihime gave him a questioning smile.

"Kuchiki-taichou," she said, "what's the matter? Aren't you glad Yamazaki-chan won? I mean, if she lost, she would've —"  
"Yamazaki's life was never at stake," the stoic captain said. "Yamamoto-taichou called both of us back before she was able to step into the arena. He told us his real reasons for holding the trial: to see how well Yamazaki could stand up in a fight, what her powers were, and how strong she was."

"And the fight against you wasn't enough for him?" Uryu asked slowly, still in shock.

"No," Byakuya replied. "During her fight with me, Yamazaki's sister used only one zanpakutou form: mine. Thus, she was unable to defeat me."

He looked out onto the field, where Yume was continuously bowing to her applauders, shamelessly basking in their praise. "It seems she has learned. She used different forms of zanpakutous during this fight, and never once used Soifon-taichou's weapon against her. To do so would be folly and reckless; Soifon-taichou must have had a lot more time to master her zanpakutou than Yamazaki."

Uryu frowned. So Yamamoto _had _been testing Yume's limits. The new knowledge was something he had suspected for a while, but one fact still surprised him. It wasn't that Yamamoto had decided to test Yume; it was the manner in which he had done so, in placing her in a heated fight in front of hundreds of people. It rather reminded him a scientist experimenting with a mouse; put the mouse in a harsh environment, see if it survives, and then give it praise if it does. If it doesn't...oh well. One less thing for said scientist to worry about taking care of.

Uryu knew better than to question the way leaders dealt with their trouble-makers. He was sure that Yamamoto would keep Yume safe and away from harm as long as she was in his care, if only because he considered her a possible threat.

But he'd been wrong about that kind of thing before.

* * *

A/N: Bit of foreshadowing right there. I love that stuff.

So how was it? It's my third 'major fight scene,' if you count the fight against Byakuya…if there's anything you don't like or think I could improve on, feel free to leave it in a review!

Ishida and Inoue seem to be holding hands a lot more often now…hmm hmm hmm…:)

And sorry, I couldn't resist adding a little Shunsui x Nanao-ness in there…I love that couple, it's one of my all-time favorites. They're hilarious, too. :)

To be quite honest with you, I have no idea when the next chapter will be coming out. I've decided that it's high time Uryu and Orihime's relationship got to the more serious side of it; enough prancing around and doing nothing but holding hands! It's time to address a major roadblock in their way: the ICHIGO crush. So since that's such an important event, I have to make sure it's extra-edited…this may take some time…

Leaving a review will most likely boost the story's esteem. Honestly, you have no idea how much your guys' reviews mean to me. They are the cure for the common writers' block!

-Next chapter: Getting To Know You

Ta!

-Kimsa


	14. Fourteen: Getting To Know You

A big, big, BIG thanks to all who reviewed! You know, if it weren't for you guys, this story probably wouldn't have continued past the first chapter. So thanks for your continuous support and positive comments! And I'm sorry I'm so late for updating…I tried to get it done as soon as I could without ruining anything. ;)

Let's see…before I confuse anyone, this chapter starts off with Orihime's point of view. I decided to let her have a turn with the works…It's just important to get inside her head for this little bit that I have planned.

Chad, you shall do my disclaimer!

Chad: …

Me: …Any day now, Chad.

Chad: …

Me: …Whenever you're ready.

Chad: …...

Me: Alright, let's make a deal: you say my disclaimer, and I'll give you Kon.

Kon: WHAT??

Chad: -shrugs- Okay. Kimsa Ki-Lurria doesn't own Bleach. She only owns Yume Yamazaki.

Me: And there ya have it. Simple as that, people. :)

* * *

Fourteen

Getting To Know You

Thunder crashed overhead, making the thick, roiling clouds tremble with its ferocity. Jumping at the loud roar, Orihime reached up and wiped away a sheen of sweat from her brow, trying to keep her quick pants under control as she waited for her heartbeat to slow down. She stood at the edge of the training field, staring determinedly at her opponent, who was a long distance away from her. His entire posture shouted reluctance and unease.

He wasn't giving it his all. She didn't know how to react.

But how else could she have expected Ishida-kun to behave when she verbally forced him to train with her?

The prospect had come to her in a blaze of inspiration, excited thrill, and confusion at her own uncharacteristic idea. But why not, she wondered. Why not train with Ishida-kun? Everyone else was training; Rukia against Chad, and Ichigo against Kenpachi. Orihime could determine the magnitude of the latter pair's fight even from such a long distance away. And Yume…well, Yume wasn't even training. She was stuck inside with Byakuya while he filed yet more paperwork, no doubt complaining about how short-lived her celebration of her victory against Soifon was.

In any case, when Uryu had protested against Orihime's suggestion, she had pointed out that she hadn't even been able to finish her training with Rukia before she was kidnapped. She didn't think that it was fair that her friends had to do her fighting for her, simply because she wasn't adept enough.

_If Aizen comes back, _Orihime thought determinedly, _I want to be able to protect my friends. I'm not going to let anyone take advantage of my weaknesses again._

"Tsubaki – I reject!" she said, startling Uryu as she aimed her open palms in his direction.

He darted out of the way with all the grace and speed she'd expected, quickly showering her with a wave of spirit arrows. Orihime brought up her shield and deflected them easily.

Shun-po'ing to her side, Uryu fired one arrow at her unprotected side. Orihime quickly dodged the bullet and fired her own.

Feeling an uncertain frown settle over her face, Orihime concentrated on Uryu's aim and the intensity of his blows. She had heard that he'd taken on the eighth espada, Szayel Aporro Grantz, and put up a brilliant struggle despite barely escaping with Mayuri's aid and an imploded gut. He was better than this. Orihime honestly did not know what to think of his reluctance to fight her; if she'd asked Ichigo to train with her in his stead, would the outcome be any different? Would he train against her with the same great care and veiled concern that she now saw Uryu exhibiting?

She appreciated the Quincy's careful nature when it came to her, but it only confused her in the current situation. Even when he fought her, he took extra care not to harm her. They had been sparring for nearly a half hour, and she did not even have a single bruise to show for it.

What if there was something wrong with him? Was he hurt, and just not telling anyone? Was she tiring him out? Or was it something else?

Momentarily frustrated with the fruitlessness of her inner search, Orihime took aim and fired again. This time, Tsubaki flew much slower than usual, and Uryu stared in confusion as the hit spluttered out and landed several feet away from him. He didn't even have to dodge it.

Orihime knew Tsubaki was mad even before he zoomed back and clocked her over the head.

"What the hell was that?!" he demanded angrily, ignoring Orihime's hurt and tearful expression. "That was even weaker than usual. Keep your mind on the fight!"

"B-but, I am," Orihime protested weakly, lifting a hand to where she could feel a tiny bump rising on her scalp. "I was concentrating. I don't know what happened —"

"Your feelings got in the way, that's what happened! Didn't I tell you to think of your opponent as nothing else _but_ your opponent?"

Orihime blinked at the furious fairy in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Tsubaki rolled his eyes. "I mean, while you were fantasizing about your boyfriend over there, your concentration got messed up. That's why your shot was so weak!"

A wave of heat swooped through all corners of Orihime's body, and she felt her face begin to burn. "M-my boyfriend? Ishida-kun…he's just a friend, he doesn't like me like that. And…I like Kurosaki-kun…"

"Uh-huh, right," Tsubaki grunted. "Whatever makes you happy. Just keep your mind on the fight."

"O-okay…"

"Inoue-san?" Uryu called, looking over at her worriedly. "Is everything alright?"

"Ah, yes!" Orihime said, jumping in surprise despite herself. "I'm fine, Ishida-kun. Tsubaki was just…umm…reminding me that how to shoot…straight."

He gave her a bewildered look, but took it in stride.

She hoped he hadn't heard her talking to Tsubaki. That would be embarrassing; what with Uryu's crush on Rukia, who was she to unknowingly intrude on their relationship? Besides, like she'd told Tsubaki, she didn't like Uryu that way. And he didn't '_like_ like' her, either…right? No, of course not. He liked Rukia, and Orihime liked Ichigo. It was as simple as that.

Then…why did he act the way he did around her…?

Taking her pensive silence and lack of activity as a sign of weariness, Uryu shrugged and dismantled his weapon.

"We should head in soon," he said. "That's enough training for today. Besides, it looks like it's going to rain soon. We don't want to be outside when the storm hits."

"Yeah," Orihime said, nodding distractedly. "The rain is especially cold during winter time…"

Uryu gave her a curious glance, but said nothing of her currently thoughtful state. "At any rate, I think you're improving."

Orihime, temporarily broken out of her reverie, looked up at him with an eager expression. "Really?"

"Yeah." He gave her a proud smile. "You've come a long way, Inoue-san. I think that the hollows are going to have to worry about you, now, not just Kurosaki and the others."

Orihime felt a blush steal over her face and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Aw, Ishida-kun's just being nice to me," she said. "You're always nice to me."

"Ah," Uryu said, meticulously pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Well, why wouldn't I be?"

The shy smile Orihime offered him was quickly dispersed as another peal of thunder shook the sky above their heads. It was the only warning they got before a curtain of rain seemingly came from out of nowhere, pouring from the swollen clouds in a never-ending torrent.

They were drenched in seconds. Uryu's face took on a distinctly irritated look as the rain soaked through his white uniform and plastered it to his slender frame, but Orihime couldn't have been happier. She raised her arms towards the sky, reveling in the feeling of the water cascading down her shoulders.

"I like the rain," she murmured. "It makes me feel so clean. Like it can wash away all the worries in the world…"

A hand on her shoulder grasped her attention, and she looked back to see Uryu pointing to a large tree.

"We should get out of the rain," he said. "You'll catch cold."

Orihime giggled and obliging followed him as he made his way to shelter. "Ishida-kun, you don't like the rain, do you?"

He grimaced sourly. "I'm fine with rain; it's the getting wet part that I don't like."

Uryu moved to sit in the grass beneath the tree, its long, thick branches and broad leaves shielding them from the worst of the rain. Orihime rung out her hair, watching the water gather in a puddle at her feet. Uryu muttered incomprehensible things under his breath beside her, trying his best to straighten his uniform. Smiling at his attempt to clean himself up, she leaned back against the tree's thick trunk. The rain drew her thoughts to home. Was it stormy over there? It was winter, after all, and the weather was almost always cold and gloomy. That was the one thing she didn't like about the wet season. It was too cold.

But there _was_ one thing that she particularly loved about this time of year…

"It'll be Christmas soon," she piped up, feeling the need for some conversation. "I've celebrated with Tatsuki for a long time, now. We always had a lot of fun. And even when I wasn't with her during that time, I just liked to look out and see other people enjoying the holidays. That was enough to make me happy. I love everything about Christmas. When the weather gets cold, everyone will go inside. And there'll be gingerbread cookies, and candy canes, and lots of presents for everyone. Everyone will be happy. And then the people in love will go beneath the mistletoe, and…"

An unexpected wave of nostalgia swept up in Orihime, bringing tears to her eyes and a sour taste to her throat. She hurriedly scrubbed her eyes, feigning to have something caught in them.

"Mistletoe," she murmured quietly.

_I'd always hoped to go under the mistletoe with Kurosaki-kun…I'd been promising myself to do it this year. But…that was before Aizen…_

Clearing her throat determinedly, Orihime decided that enough was enough, and asked what she thought was a perfectly innocent question brought up by the topic of mistletoe.

"Ishida-kun, have you ever kissed someone?"

Obviously caught off guard, Uryu gave a start and began fiddling nervously with his glasses. "Ah…well, actually, I…well...err…"

Orihime giggled, feeling her face flush with the same embarrassment he must have been feeling. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Sometimes I don't think before I talk. I shouldn't ask about things like that."

She paused, watching him relax slightly as the flush left his wet cheeks.

"That's alright, Inoue-san," he said quietly.

Giving him a small nod, she looked out to the training field again.

"I've never kissed anyone," she said softly. "Lots of people I know have, though, and they say that you don't have to be in love to do it. But…I think that a kiss is something special, something that you can't really do with anyone. You have to really like that person in order to kiss them…and…I guess that's why I'm saving my first kiss. I'm going to wait until that 'someone special' comes along."

Caught in the moment, Orihime completely forgot about what kinds of questions she was not supposed to ask. "What about you, Ishida-kun? Is there someone you love? Someone you're saving your first kiss for, too?"  
The only noise was the drumming of the rain around them. Uryu remained so silent and so still that for a brief, wild moment, Orihime thought that maybe he'd turned to stone. Then, he shifted, and turned his head to gaze at her. She was startled by the intensity in his cobalt-blue eyes, almost taken aback by the fierce emotion she saw in their dark depths.

He gave his black-haired head a single nod. "Yes."

"Oh." Orihime fidgeted nervously, twirling a lock of her wet hair. "I…I wonder if…Kurosaki-kun is saving a kiss for someone."  
She looked up to meet Uryu's surprised gaze, watching as his emotions dissolved into something inscrutable.

"I don't know." The Quincy gave off an uncomfortable air, but Orihime was oblivious, and prattled on.

"He's very nice. And…really handsome. So, it wouldn't really surprise me if he's already had his first kiss. That's okay, though. Because we can't really help what we feel, right? And if Kurosaki-kun has already kissed someone, I'm okay with it. Because…because Kurosaki-kun…he…"

_Ichigo leaned over the healing shield, his entire frame wrought with exhaustion and anxiety. Orihime didn't need to look at his gaze to see what she knew she would find there, but she did anyway. The tenderness, the absolute worry and care she saw in his eyes, was something she'd wished she could have directed at her every moment of every day. She'd wished so many times for it to be for her, not for anyone else, that it became a routine, a habit. And habits had a way of sticking with someone, even if they no longer held any purpose._

_Orihime wanted that gaze to be for her. _

_But it wasn't. Because it wasn't her lying under the golden glow of her shield._

_It was Rukia Kuchiki._

_And she didn't know if Ichigo could look at her that way even if she'd asked him to._

Orihime could feel Uryu's gaze on her, considerate and warm, and from it gathered the strength to reveal the truth she'd known ever since that moment in the Seireitei, maybe even before then. Her throat was dry, painfully dry, and she swallowed slowly to regain her voice. Even so, when she spoke, her words came out in a defeated whisper.

"Because Kurosaki-kun is in love with someone else already, isn't he?"  
She saw Uryu close his eyes out of the corner of her own, and silently wondered why he looked so sad.

"Inoue-san…"

The way he said her name made her shiver, and she quickly drew her knees to her chest, the cold of the rain finally beginning to soak into her trembling bones.

"No, Ishida-kun," she murmured, staring at her feet. "Don't try to protect me this time. I already know. I've known for so very long…I just haven't been able to make myself face it. I…I love Kurosaki-kun. So very, very much. But…he doesn't think about me that way. I know he…h-he loves Kuchiki-san. I know. I just tried to tell myself that he didn't, so that maybe it wouldn't hurt as much."

There were no tears in her eyes. It felt as if she was being torn from the inside out, but she could not bring herself to cry.

_I've already cried to so much for him, that I can't call up any tears for him anymore…_

Two arms encircled her shoulders, and Orihime gave a little gasp of surprise as she found herself being pulled into Uryu's warm embrace. Her heart pounded in her chest, her eyes widening as one of his hands rubbed a spot on her back. She could feel the warmth from his body even through his drenched clothes.

"It's alright, Inoue-san," he murmured by her ear. "Please…don't think badly of yourself just because he didn't choose you. Kurosaki is a fool for not choosing you. There are so many things about you that are wonderful, especially your love for life. So…you can't let something like this get in the way of that. Don't let that stop you, Inoue-san. Not something like this."

Orihime let her eyes fall shut, relaxing into his firm frame. She felt her exhaustion and disappointment, each painful in their own right, leak slowly out of her, absorbed by Uryu's warmth.

A single tear rolled down her cheek, falling onto the Quincy's damp shirt.

"Thank you, Ishida-kun," she murmured softly into his shoulder. "Thank you for comforting me. You're always so nice to me, always there when I need you. You…you're such a good friend…"

She felt Uryu stiffen slightly against her, his hand pausing on her back, and she opened her eyes in confusion.

"…Thank you, Inoue-san," he finally said. "It means a lot to hear that from you."

A sad smile graced her features for a moment, and they broke away. Orihime felt the chill instantly, immediately missing the Quincy's warmth.

Uryu noticed her shiver and got to his feet.

"The rain's down to a sprinkle. We should be able to head back now."

Orihime nodded and accepted his offered hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She had been so distraught that she hadn't noticed when the rain had begun to let up.

Something from earlier on resurfaced from her subconscious, and, not knowing whether or not she should really be asking it, she posed a question.

"Ishida-kun?"

"Hmm?"

Her next words her cautious, shy in their tentativeness. "The girl you like…it's not…Kuchiki-san, is it?"

"Kuchiki-san?" Uryu stared at her in surprise. "No."

"Oh, good." Orihime felt her lungs deflate with a huge sigh of relief. "Because…well, when I said that Kurosaki-kun was in love with Kuchiki-san, I didn't realize that I might've hurt your feelings if you really did like her. I was worried that I might've upset you."

"And what would make you think I liked her in the first place?" Uryu asked, raising one eyebrow in curiosity.

"Well," Orihime said, biting her lip, "I…I saw the dress you made for her just after we'd stopped her execution, and I thought that it was really pretty, and the first reason that I came up with was because you…well, you liked her and wanted to make her something extra special."

Uryu remained silent for a full five seconds before he let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. "Inoue-san," he said, "I didn't make Kuchiki-san that dress because I liked her in any particular way. I made it because I know she likes dresses like that. If you didn't like the shirt I made you, why didn't you just let me know? I would've made a dress for you, too."

Orihime hurriedly flailed her arms at him, instantly worried that he'd made the wrong connection. "No, no, I liked the shirt!" she protested. "It was really cute!"

Uryu smiled at her. "Alright, then. I don't like Kuchiki-san that way, Inoue-san, and I certainly didn't mean anything by making that dress. I just thought she'd like something to wear once we got back home."

"Oh…okay. Sorry, Ishida-kun."

"You don't have to apologize, Inoue-san," Uryu said.

"O-okay. But…can I ask you something else? I-if you don't like Kuchiki-san that way, then who _are_ you in love with?"

Uryu merely blinked at her for a moment. A weary sort of patience, and another emotion she couldn't quite name, pooled in the depths of his cobalt eyes as he gazed at her.

"You'll know when the time is right, Inoue-san. And when you do, I hope you'll understand why I feel that way. Maybe…you'll even support it. But for now, I'll just wait for you. You'll figure it out, I'm sure."

He led her forward, towards the edge of the tree's protection, and hunched his shoulders as a small wave of water shook itself free from the thick leaves above him and splashed over his soaked frame. Orihime allowed herself a quick giggle and patted his shoulder, hoping to alleviate the miserable expression he held on his face.

"Yeah, I'll figure out who you like before you know it!" she proposed. "There's nothing my woman's intuition can't solve! And I'll support your feelings, I know I will. Just like you've supported mine."

Uryu gave her a somewhat subdued smile.

"You shouldn't make promises if you don't know you can keep them, Inoue-san. But thank you."

* * *

"See? You have to make sure your legs are really, really straight, or you'll fall over. And then just check that your arms are the right distance apart, aaaand… that's how you do a handstand!"

Byakuya stared at Yume's upturned, smiling face, as stoic and emotionless as ever. "I am not," he said seriously, "subjecting myself to such an act of meaningless humiliation."

Yume stuck her lower lip out in a pout, her black hair, the turquoise streak hanging directly in her face, strewn about her head. "You know, it's really not that hard," she said. "But I can understand if you don't want to try because you think you'll fall. I mean, that's what happened to me when I first tried to do a handstand. I fell right on my face! So…ooh…hold on, the blood's rushing to my head…"

Bending her body into a C shape, Yume landed neatly on her feet, straightening as she raised her arms with a flourish.

"Tada!"

Byakuya stared at her impassively, and Yume, her face still flushed from too much time upside down, lowered her arms with a disappointed sigh.

"I can never get you to talk to me," she complained.

"I don't know what you mean," Byakuya replied, his voice tinged with annoyance and confusion. "I talk to you every day."

Yume shook her head vigorously.

"No, I mean _really _talk to me," she said. "You know. About you, about me. About either of us!"

"And…why would I talk about us?"

"Because that's what friends do!" Yume nearly spluttered in exasperation. Seeing his blank look, she let out another short sigh.

"But then…I forget, you're not really staying around me because you want to. You're just doing what ol' Yama-sama tells you to do."

Byakuya continued to look at her with an unreadable gaze. Yume shrugged her slight shoulders, adopting her cheerful grin in place of her frustrated scowl.

"Alright, then," she said, setting her fists on her hips, "since you're gonna be that way, let's play a game."

"I have no wish to —"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, this isn't like the handstand," Yume interrupted, brandishing one pale finger like a soldier would a rapier. "This, my good man, is a _talking_ game. Sort of like a Q&A. You know, a question-and-answer game."  
Byakuya shook his head, remaining in his sitting position on the floor. Well, at least she wasn't trying to get him to assume that ridiculous posture…besides, if he just humored her childish desires, maybe she would leave him alone for a time. And the Commander-General _had _said to learn as much about the strange ryoka as possible…

"This…this Q&A, this question-answer game…what would it be about?" he asked hesitantly.

Yume positively beamed, nearly glowing with delight at his cooperation. "Basically anything! See, it's like this," she said, plopping herself down in a cross-legged position in front of him. "One person asks the other person a question, and that person answers it. Then, the person who was asked the first question gets to ask it the next time round, but it has to be of the same caliber as the question he was asked."

"So," Byakuya said, frowning slightly, "for instance, if you asked me about my family, I would be able to ask you about yours?"

"Exactly!" Yume chirped.

"Fine," Byakuya agreed. Determination gleamed bright in his eyes, and he sharpened his resolve to get some answers out of this odd, inexplicable girl. "Then I will ask the first question."

"Shoot."

He stared at her.

"Oh," Yume said, realizing that she'd confused him. "It means 'go ahead.'"

The stoic captain offered her a curt nod. "How much of what you said at the captains' meeting was a lie?"

Yume blinked at him innocently, appearing taken aback by the question. "None of it," she said. "It was all the truth."

"But —"

"_Niet_!" Yume barked, holding up a hand to stop him. "My turn. Unless you want to forfeit another turn and let me have two in a row?"

Byakuya gave her a cold glare. "Take your turn," he said.

"Alrighty, then. Let's see, let's see…how much do you hide about your life from those around you?"

"That's not —"

"Oh, it is too of the same level!" Yume said patronizingly. "You questioned my word, so I'm questioning yours. We're on the same level, Bya-kun. You have to answer."

Her smug grin only served to irritate him. "…Most of it," he answered grudgingly. "Few of those around me know about my life apart from captainship."

Yume shook her head admonishingly. "It's not good to keep everything inside, Bya-kun. You'll just go all rotten under the pressure."

"What are your real reasons for being here in Soul Society?"

"My real reasons? Why, Bya-kun, I thought you already knew. I had a bit of a fight with some hollows, and Hitsugaya-kun dragged me over here for interrogation. Yama-sama seemed to think I was important because of Skinner's weird interest in me, so he chained me to you and told me to stay put. Besides, it's safer here than the real world. Skinner can't get me here.

"Now, my turn. Hmm…ah, I got it! What're _your _real reasons for being here in Soul Society?"

Byakuya felt his temper rising. Was she mocking him?

"I was sent here after my death in the living world. I am a captain of the Gotei 13. It is my duty to protect those who need it and to uphold the balance in the after-life. Therefore, I stay here to work in the best environment."

"Is that _all_?" Yume coaxed. "You sure there's not some other reason you're here, serving as a captain of the Gotei 13?"

"Your question was not why I chose to serve as a captain. It was why I was here, in Soul Society."

Yume backed down, puffing out her cheeks in disappointment. "Fine," she grumbled. "Your turn."

"Do you have an ulterior power?"

She seemed startled by the question; her eyes widened considerably, and her mouth fell open. "Wh-what?" she stuttered.

Feeling a sense of triumph come over him and getting caught up in the moment, Byakuya leaned towards the flabbergasted girl by a fraction, making Yume's eyes widen even further at his intensity.

"I said, do you have an ulterior power? One besides your mimicry of others' zanpakutous. One whose true form takes on the appearance of an ivory phoenix."

"I…how…y-you…how do you know that?!" Yume asked frantically.

"Is that your next question?" Byakuya asked, now the one with the smug air. Yume swallowed convulsively and stiffened her back. She almost reminded him of Setsuna in her rigid imperialness.

"No," she muttered darkly. "It's not. And yeah, I kind of do have a…a different power. It's just a side-thing…not really like a shikai or anything like that, if I even understand correctly what a shikai is. I guess you could say mimicking other zanpakutous' powers is my shikai. This…other power isn't…related to that."

"Let me see it."

"Huh?"

"I want to see the other power."

"Nah-uh!" Yume protested, scrambling backwards from his imposing form. "That—that's not a part of the game!"

"I think I know what it does. It heals you when you are hurt, doesn't it?"

"How…how do you…?" Yume asked, truly bewildered now. "How do you _know_ these kinds of things?!"

Byakuya straightened, gathering his cool composure about him as one would a cloak. "I will take that as your next question. There is a dream I have been having for the past four months or so. In it, I see you running from the hollow that calls itself Skinner. It catches up, and attacks you. For a moment all it does is gloat, but the ivory phoenix appears and drives it away. Then, it heals your wounds, and the dream ends. If it were any other dream, I would simply dismiss it as naught but a figment of my imagination. But it reoccurred too many times to be fake, and you are as real now as you were in the dream."

Convinced that he had caught her in a trap and gained some rather vital information, he stared down at her in self-satisfied silence while she processed the information. For a moment, all Yume did was gape at him. Then, a wicked, sly smile slid over her heart-shaped face.

"Stalker," she accused.

Byakuya felt his eyes widen marginally in disbelief, then quickly narrow in irritation. "I am not," he said.

"Are too!" Yume insisted. The girl's smile widened into a grin, becoming so broad that he was surprised her face did not split in two.

"Feh. Who would've thought it? Byakuya Kuchiki, ice-captain of the 6th division and one of the highest-ranking people in the Seireitei, is a child-lover!"

Byakuya, having reached his boiling point, got to his feet rather quickly, unintentionally terrorizing Yume in the process.

"Eeeeek! I was just teasing, just teasing!" she shrieked, curling into a ball at his feet. "You don't have to get violent! God, can't you take a joke?!"

"Not when it goes too far," Byakuya said coldly.

"Oh." Yume peeked up at him through her fingers. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad, Bya-kun."

Momentarily startled by the simplicity of her apology, he stared down at her wordlessly. She stared back.

"What?"

Frowning in consternation, he shook his head at her. "Why do you act this way?"

"What way?"

"Like...like a small child in an older girl's body."

Her grin said it all, even before she started to speak. "Child-lo—"

"Continue that sentence and I may become violent."

"Alright, sorry!" Yume uncurled from her fetal position and wordlessly patted the space in front of him, motioning for him to sit. He obliged, if only to get her to speak more comfortably.

"I'm just…like this, okay?" she said with a shrug. "I go about things with a simple nature, and people tell me there's nothing wrong with that. Of course, I think about the things you and people my age think about. I know that everything's not sugar gumdrops all the time, and it usually isn't. I just choose to look at the brighter side of things and act according to what I feel. I don't hold it in. I let it out."

She sent a bright smile his way, holding her raven-haired head high. "Besides, people are used to me acting this way. They say I'm more likeable. Would you prefer it if I acted like Setsuna, or Zazie?"

Byakuya did not know Zazie, but he'd come into contact with Setsuna before, and even he preferred Yume's constant cheer to her sister's snide contempt. He shook his head.

"Well, then," Yume said in contentment, rocking back on her heels, "that's settled. And, by the way, I'll consider that your next question."  
Mentally berating himself for forgetting that they'd still been playing the game, Byakuya settled into a more comfortable position and readied himself for another round. He still had much to learn about this bizarre, fanciful girl.

Unfortunately, she didn't seem to have the same interest in him. Rising to her feet in a melodramatic twirl, she bowed low in front of him and backed away.

"Well, Bya-kun, your nobleness, I'll just be ending this session of Q&A right about now. I'm sure you're eager to return to all your piles of papery goodness. Thanks for playing the game with me, though; it was fun!"  
Byakuya, momentarily discarding all pretense of honor and noble dignity, got to his feet before she could dash into a different room to busy herself with something else.

"Wait," he said. He felt a flash of humiliation when she turned to look at him with amusement, but told himself that his questioning was going to get him the much-needed information that Yamamoto-soutaichou had been looking for when he assigned the sixth division captain as Yume's supervisor.

"I have one last question," he said.

"Shoot," Yume prompted.

"How is it that you know so much about the Seireitei and its inhabitants, if you claim to have never heard of it before?"  
Yume gave him a sly smile, wagging her finger in front of his face in a warning gesture. "Think before you ask, Bya-kun," she said coyly. "That's a very big, very juicy question, and the only thing I'll accept in return for answering it is…a handstand!"

The look Byakuya gave her relayed just exactly what he thought of that proposal.

"Fine, then," Yume said with a nonchalant shrug. "No handstand, no answer."

Suppressing his frustration with a titanic effort, Byakuya shook his head at her. What a strange girl. He'd never met anyone like her who could actually make it hard to conceal his emotions. She tried his very self-control; she was a testament to everything he'd worked hard to avoid in life, and if he didn't get that answer soon, he'd never be free of her.

But there was no way he was doing a handstand for her. Not in a million years.

* * *

A/N: ¬¬…Hmm…I don't know if Orihime's revelation was too soon or fleshed out enough. I just wanted to get Ichigo out of the way (He still annoys me…).

But whatever. I wanted to give you guys something to read. And hey, I decided not to go with a cliff-hanger today. I just don't feel like giving you guys a hard time. :) Besides, there's not much you can do in terms of a cliffhanger with these kinds of chapters. Oh well…at least Orihime's starting to come to terms with the fact that Ichigo doesn't love her…bleh to Ichihime!! XP

And the Bleach OST songs "Will of the Heart" and "Compassion" are wonderful to write to. –nods– Perfect to set the mood! Though "WOTH" gets weird later in the song…

I will get the next chapter as soon as possible…be patient, please…it will be a bit more suspenseful. Yup...

And sorry if I butchered any Japanese celebration things…I don't know how they celebrate Christmas, so I just went with what I knew. Lol.

-Kimsa


	15. Fifteen: Underhand Job

And she updates! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's really true, the fifteenth chapter is here!

Amazing, isn't it?

I can't stress how sorry I am for making you all wait so long. I would've gotten this chapter in much, much sooner, but school started up, and…well, I'll stop making excuses now and just not do it again. How does that sound? Good? Alright. Here we go.

Your reviews made me smile and jump for joy, as usual. Thank you so, so much! I'm sorry I took so long to reply to them…meh, children, do not save your AP summer assignment for the last week of summer…tis blegh…

Since the last chapter was all relationship-building and Ishihime/ByaYume and whatnot, I thought we needed to pay a visit to our friend Skinner and see how he's doing…there's blood in this chapter, I apologize…and sneaky sub-plots…

Disclaimer: -drum roll- Well, since this is an emo-ish chapter, why not have Ishida Ryuuken do our disclaimer? That should turn everyone's smile upside down!

Ryuuken: And what makes you think I would help contribute to your juvenile amusements?

Me: Well...I have a slight tendency to over-react when I'm denied something, and am currently the owner of many heavy, sharp things, so...

Ryuuken: ...Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach. She only owns Yume Yamazaki.

Me: :) See how persuasive I can be?

I don't know how to write for Aizen. :P

Gin is fun, though.

* * *

Fifteen

Underhand Job

"Skinner. Get up."

Aizen Sōsuke's face was a mask of ice — unmoving, unfeeling, and unforgiving. The hollow crouched before him, trembling with the weight of its pain, cringed at the sound of his voice and slowly forced itself to stand. Bloody lines crisscrossed its back, the life source forming a puddle at the creature's clawed feet. Skinner tried to contain his jolting gasps of pain and failed.

"Gin."

The silver-haired man, standing just in front of the wounded hollow, looked up as his name was called and raised his eyebrows in query. His fox-like smile was even wider than usual, his pale-skinned face dotted and flecked with Skinner's blood. Shinsō, unsheathed at his side, was drenched in the crimson liquid. Gin could feel his zanpakutou almost reverberating with pleasure.

"Yeah?" he questioned, tilting his head in Aizen's direction.

"That's enough for today," Aizen said sternly.

"Aw. And I was just gettin' started."

Gin flicked his zanpakutou in Skinner's direction one more time for good measure, and nearly giggled in glee at the look of terror and hate on the hollow's face. If the creature hadn't hated him before, it did now. Oh, but he couldn't help that he was so good at torturing people. He was just always best at what he enjoyed doing.

Aizen's displeasure showed itself clearly in the coldness of his gaze. Gin would have been worried, but it wasn't directed at him; no, Skinner, still shivering with pain, was the lucky winner this time. He was the one who'd lost Yume-chan to the shinigami.

"How are you feeling, Skinner?" Aizen asked. His words might have been considered concerned, possibly even worried, for the hollow's well-being, but there was nothing sympathetic in his voice. Skinner did not meet his eye. Gin could hear the skeletal hollow's jagged teeth chattering against each other as he attempted to clench his jaw shut. But he did not speak.

"I asked you a question."  
"…I…I'm fine, Aizen-sama."

That was a lie. Skinner was the farthest thing from fine; Gin had taken extra care to make sure of that. The hollow had taken the smart way out, though. To admit weakness in front of Aizen was suicide.

Aizen pursed his lips and nodded. "Very well. If that's the case…Gin. Do a better job this time, please."

But then again, to admit that you were feeling fine was not much better.

"W-wait!" Skinner protested shrilly, holding up one gaunt claw as Gin lifted his zanpakutou. "No! I…I have done nothing to deserve this! I was the one who has chased that girl all this time, even cornered and wounded her once —"

Aizen leaned forward on his throne. "And how did that end for you, Skinner?"

Skinner hesitated and swallowed convulsively, his bone-white mask moving fractionally from side to side as if searching for an escape route. "It won't end like that again, my lord, I promise you. I-I'll take reinforcements next time. As many as I can find. The insects won't stand a chance, and you'll have the girl by the time the sun sets."

"You have failed me more than enough times before, Skinner." Aizen settled back on his throne, staring at the hollow down the long bridge of his nose. "Even my patience has a limit. If I let you go, I want Yamazaki in my grasp when you return. You understand what will happen if you return and you do not have her, don't you?"  
Skinner clenched his teeth and bowed his head. "Yes, Aizen-sama. It won't happen again. I'll have the insect ready for you when I get back."

"Good. You are dismissed."

Gin watched Skinner go, the hollow limping and cringing all the way until he had exited the throne room. Wiping Shinsō's blade clean on his hakama before sheathing it, the ex-vice captain reached up one long-fingered hand to smear away Skinner's blood from his face.

"Do ya really think Skinner's gonna get Yume-chan back, Aizen?"

Aizen rose from his chair and shook his head. He motioned with one hand for Gin to follow him as he stalked out into a separate hallway, and Gin obeyed wordlessly. "It would be a surprise, and a pleasant one, if he did," Aizen said. "But Soul Society is busy preparing for a war right now, and their defenses must be high. If I am correct in this assumption, and I assure you that I am, Skinner will not make it ten feet from his garganta."

"Then why'd ya send him?" Gin asked. "If he's just a waste of our time, why keep him alive at all? Ya shoulda have let me finish him off. I would've been glad to."

"I know," Aizen agreed. "But we wouldn't want our shinigami friends to get too comfortable, would we?"

"Nah," Gin nodded. "So Skinner's a warning, then? That we're not gonna play fair?"

Aizen smiled at the other man. "Gin," he said in a chiding tone, "I always play fair."

"Uh-huh. So what about Yume-chan, then? Who are you gonna send to pick her up? Me?" Gin pointed one finger at his face as he said this, giving his lord a plaintive look. Aizen shook his head and turned away.

"As I said before, Gin, Soul Society is tense and ready to strike at the first sign of trouble. If I were to send anyone there now, they would have to be remarkably powerful to put up a fight against the whole of the Seireitei. You would be more than capable of such a feat, but...Yamazaki is not worth that effort or risk."

In an incredibly rare moment of bewilderment, Gin's smile faded, and he tilted his head inquisitively. Had he not heard Aizen right? He couldn't have, but he knew that his hearing was perfectly sound.

"She's…not?" He asked.

Aizen shook his head, the pleasant smile returning to his face. "No. Yamazaki is not our first priority; she is more of a bonus, like Inoue. She is not essential to this war. Other, more pressing matters are."

Gin folded his arms and huffed, looking slightly put out. "Huh. Well, I didn't see that coming. I thought that was the whole purpose of her getting her powers and stuff, you know? Why monitor and chase her around if she's not important? And why have me beat up ol' Skinner? If Yume-chan's just a 'bonus,' then losing her wouldn't be that bad, would it?"

By this time, Aizen had led them to a balcony overlooking the large training grounds Las Noches had to offer. Down in the fields, Gin saw the top Espadas sparring against each other. Grimmjow and Nnoitra faced off while Ulquiorra and Halibel watched impassively from the sidelines, occasionally offering snippets of advice, and Stark dozed under the nonexistent shade of a dead tree. Barragan huffed and puffed like an old veteran grandfather and ignored his fellow Espada completely.

After remaining silent for a moment to watch his elite, Aizen began to speak again. "He needed to be taught a lesson. We cannot have him going against orders to wander into Soul Society again. That was uncalled for."

Gin's smile was back again, stretching his narrow face even longer than usual. "Hnn. I get it. So, if Yume-chan's not important, then who is?"

"…Yamazaki is too unstable to be trusted, Gin. You of all people should know that. Her ideals, her memories, her _sanity_…it is all hanging by a thread, every minute of every day. Even her loyalty could be shattered with the right push in the wrong area. Take Setsuna and Zazie – you didn't think that having a body occupied by three spirits wouldn't garner some consequences, did you?"

"No. That'd be enough to make anyone go crazy, maybe even me! But, still…if we could figure out how to control her…err, unstable condition, and make it stable, don't ya think she'd be useful? Even a little bit?"

"There is too much risk. Yamazaki is out of the picture unless Skinner manages to capture her."

"And what if he doesn't?"

The gaze Aizen gave him was enough to convey the message, but he spoke anyway. "Then we will send someone to kill her. If Yamazaki finds a way to handle her powers completely, both sides of them, and gives her loyalty to Soul Society, they will be strong enough to be a threat to me. Not a large threat, of course, but still a noticeable nuisance. We cannot let Yamazaki loose like that. Unstable animals must be put down…didn't you know that, Gin? Didn't you know the risk when you discovered her?"

Gin remained silent, pressing his lips together. None of his confusion or trepidation made it to his face, remaining firmly concealed behind his smiling exterior. He'd heard people call him "fox-face" before. The idea amused him; foxes were crafty, cunning, and there was always the stereotype that their loyalty was often short-lived. Maybe people actually knew him better than he thought they did. Did his smile really put people on edge? Of course it did. But the question was, were they able to see past that discomfort, past the constantly lingering smile, and discover what really hid behind his cheerful mask? He was counting on the fact that most couldn't.

His grin widened, nearly splitting his lips to show teeth. "Who're ya gonna send to do the job, then, if it gets that bad?" he asked eagerly. "Stark? Barragan? Halibel? Little ol' me, maybe?"

"Ulquiorra is fit for such a duty," Aizen replied stoically. "If Skinner shows up without Yume again, I will send him to kill them both. I will not tolerate uselessness in my world."

"Ahhh!" Gin raised his eyebrows, his lips stretching so much that they added an entirely new meaning to the phrase 'ear-to-ear.' "Tricky, tricky, Aizen! I getcha. I see what you're up to."

Aizen turned slowly to face him. There was something dangerous in his eyes that made Gin uneasy, however much he tried to hide it. It looked like he knew more than Gin wanted him to.

"Do you, Gin?" Aizen asked quietly. "Do you really know?"

Gin only nodded and smiled cheerily.

"Sure as I know the sky's never gonna be blue here."

The last comment he kept to himself, but it made the smile on his face genuine with glee.

_The question is, Aizen, can _you_ see past this old fox's smile?_

* * *

The force of impact nearly shattered the clipboard in two as it hit the wall. Gripping Nemu's long braid in one hand, Mayuri brought his daughter's face to his and began to scream.

"What do you mean there's a virus?!" he bellowed.

Nemu blinked owlishly at him. "Someone or something has implanted a virus into our system, and because of it, I can't access the specified document."

"So," Mayuri seethed, "what you mean to say is that there's a file on this ryoka-girl, but we _cannot open it_?"

"No, sir. We can't."

Mayuri let out a shriek of rage and flung his daughter away from him. Not bothering to see if he'd made her fall (which he had), he stormed over to the clipboard he'd thrown and snatched up the fractured pieces in his hands. "All these notes…useless, now!"

During Yume's somewhat improvised trial, Mayuri had taken special care to gather as much information on the flighty girl as he could. He'd written on her appearance, her personality, her abilities…and now he'd be able to put those to the test, but because of some random virus, he couldn't view his information. There had only been one time before that he'd been unable to access a file, and that had been, he suspected, because someone planted a virus in the system.

So someone must have done it again, without him realizing it…but the only one here was Nemu…

Reaching what he believed was the answer, he whirled on his daughter, who was picking herself up from the floor where he'd hurled her. "Nemu! What did you do?"

Nemu stared at him. "If you mean for the virus, sir, I tried every method I knew of in order to get rid of it —"

"Nooo, I mean _what did you do that made the virus appear in the first place_? It must have been you! Who else would be in here? Nemu, did you let anyone in here while I was gone?"

"No, Mayuri-sama."

"Then it must have been you!"

Nemu shook her head. "No, sir —"

"Do not _lie_ to me, girl! I'll rip out your vocal cords and rewire them if I have to, but I will not stand to be lied to!" Mayuri, still fuming, set the clipboard beside his computer's keyboard and stared up at the screen. The words ACCESS DENIED blared in brilliant red letters across his vision.

"If it was you, I'll figure it out eventually," he growled. "And you had better hope I don't find out that you've planted the virus…because if you did, no hands or mouth for a week! Nothing but bleeding stubs and meaningless mutterings! Understand?"  
"Hai, Mayuri-sama," Nemu said with a quick bow. "But…if I may suggest something, sir?"

"What?!"

"If…if the file were on Yamazaki-san, perhaps the person who planted the virus would be someone who would not want you to find out about whatever information that file contains. Perhaps one of her friends did it."

"How could her friends get in? Didn't I tell you to stay here?"  
Nemu nodded. "Yes, sir. But you also told me to do other things that required me to leave the room."

Mayuri paused, trying and failing to find something wrong with her statement. He grunted and turned back to the computer screen. "Fine. If Yamazaki's friends don't want me to find something in here, then she must obviously have something to hide. Nemu — get to work on this virus, double time! I want it gone by the time the hour is up."

Despite the fact that she had already told him she could do nothing about it, Nemu nodded obediently and approached the computer to set about removing the virus. Mayuri reviewed his notes as she worked, reading them aloud under his breath.

"'Subject: Yume Yamazaki. Age, fifteen…height, 5"3…her bells for Setsuna, Zazie and herself…name of zanpakutou, unknown. Origin, unknown; variety of mimicking powers seems limitless…able to adopt any zanpakutou's form…subject is extremely trusting and open.'" He let out a short, frustrated sigh and glowered at the computer screen as Nemu typed furiously at the keyboard. "And, unfortunately, that's all we know at the moment about the elusive Yume Yamazaki."

"Nah. Ya forgot to add that she likes to take early morning walks."

The voice preceded the presence, and Mayuri was sure that even if he had sensed the traitor before his distinct dialect announced his arrival, he would have been able to tell immediately who it was. His hand was at Ashisogi's hilt in an instant, and he could see Nemu turning away from the keyboard to face the smiling, silver-haired man in the doorway.

Gin did not react to Mayuri's hostility, merely smiling at him as if he were an old friend who had not visited in a long time. "Now, now. There's no need for that."

"What are you doing here?" Mayuri snarled.

"I've come to propose a little...agreement, truth be told," Gin admitted. He took a step towards the computer Nemu was guarding, but was immediately stopped by Mayuri's zanpakutou. The silver-haired man looked down mildly at the sharp blade centimeters in front of his nose, raising his eyebrows.

"What kind of agreement?" Mayuri asked. "Who says I shouldn't call the Special Ops on you right now? I'm sure someone is bound to recognize your reiatsu signature sooner or later, so I suggest you say whatever you need to fast, unless you want to be skewered where you stand. Personally, I'd prefer that; I've never experimented on a traitor before."

"Ouch! Traitor is such a harsh, accusative word," Gin complained. "Let's call me a...free-thinker. Much like you, as a matter of fact. See, as men of ambition, we both look for the profit of anything we do; even the simplest of actions or, ahem, _bargains_ will enable us to determine our future. We can't be held back by the rules or laws forced on us. After all, rules are meant to be broken...and discovery is the key to success."

Mayuri narrowed his eyes and moved his blade closer to the other man's face. He did not like this; Gin was never so talkative, and the fact that the traitor hadn't attacked yet was making him nervous. "Get to the point," he leered, "or Ashisogi's will _discover_ your cartilage. What kind of a _success_ do you think that will present?"

Gin tilted his head in a nod. "...I see. Well, let's just say that Aizen's little power-run and control-fetish has…rubbed me the wrong way. I don't like being shoved to the side; it doesn't sit well with my conscience. I feel like I'm not doing enough. So, to help prove that I really can get a job done, I'm willing to do a little dirt-digging. An underhand job, if you will. I propose a truce between you and me – just a give-and-take situation, if ya know what I mean."

Mayuri was thoroughly interested by now. Gin, skulking around behind Aizen's back? He would not have expected it in a million years. Aizen had taken his right-hand-man in when he was just a boy, even helped elevate him to a position of great respect. The Lord of Hueco Mundo was the reason Gin was so powerful today. But then again, he reminded himself, Gin had never been one for compassion. He was as likely to turn on you the moment you helped him, if you so much as suggested he follow in your footsteps. The fox was often overshadowed by the wolf, but this made him hate his superior with an even greater fervor.

"State your price," the twelfth division captain said, "and whatever it is that you're after."

Gin's expression hid his obvious satisfaction.

"I want ya to get a hold of Yume Yamazaki, and perform some…eh, tests, we'll say. For science's sake, of course."

The tip of Ashisogi's blade wavered as Mayuri stared at the other man in shock. "You…you want me to experiment on her," he repeated incredulously.

"Well, if ya put it that way…"

"What's in it for you? What exactly is it about her that you think you'll find out if I go through with this? Why should I even listen to you? If I were to be discovered, I'd be through back in the Maggot's Nest, or worse. And there are very few things that are worse than that hellhole. I'm not sure you're worth the risk."

Gin held up one long finger, guiding Ashisogi away from his face. "Ah. Well, as to what I'll get from this, that's for me to know and for you to wonder about. Just focus on her spirit-power and abilities, and maybe study those bells of hers if ya can, and I'll be happy with whatever ya give ta me. And if the spanking-new information you'll get from her isn't reward enough for you, I came prepared. Just hold on a sec."

Mayuri glared warily as Gin backed away and sauntered out of the room. Nemu remained where she was standing, staring at her captain's back.

"Mayuri-sama? Is he a threat? What do you want me to do?"

"Shh." Mayuri held out a hand and motioned for her to be silent. "Just wait."

Gin returned shortly, laden under the weight of a white-clad body slung over his shoulder. Its chest was bound in bandages, and it was so limp that if Mayuri hadn't detected its faint, barely-pulsing reiatsu, he would have deemed it dead. It certainly smelled dead. Gin had it tossed over his shoulder in such a way that its torso and head were obscured from his sight, but the painfully-thin figure seemed suspiciously familiar to Mayuri.

The silver-haired man grinned and shifted the body into his arms, revealing its identity. "Tad-ahhh!" he crowed.

Mayuri nearly gaped at the sight. There, drooping unresponsively in Gin's careless grasp, was Szayel Aporro Grantz.

"What…he…you…he's supposed to be dead!" Mayuri screeched, pointing accusingly at the limp body with his zanpakutou.

Gin raised his eyebrows and glanced down at Szayel. "Hmm? Well, yeah…he is, I guess. More dead than alive, anyway, thanks to you. But we managed to save him…or I did, anyhow. He kept a stash of secret ingredients, or whatever, in a hidden area, and only me and ol' Aizen knew about it. You wouldn't have found it; you shinigami just grabbed Inoue and left before you could really discover anything _important._ So I dabbed a few potions here and there, got some Arrancar to do a bit of stitching, and _viola_! He'll live. I don't really know for how long, but…well, that's not the point."

Mayuri eyed the battered body with distaste. "So you're going to bribe me to betray Soul Society with new information on a ryoka girl and an Espada in a coma?"

"He might not be in a coma forever, though," Gin protested. "And yeah. That's pretty much it. But keep in mind that if you disagree, I could always kill ya and experiment on Yume-chan myself. So? Whaddaya say?"

Mayuri did not reply. He moved even less than the ethereal half-corpse of Szayel, his gaze and Ashisogi's blade unwavering. Gin continued to grin, and Nemu watched the exchange in silence. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Mayuri sheathed his zanpakutou and offered a curt grunt.

"Only if I get the Espada," he said. "And I don't want you rushing me about the experimentation process, either. I like to take my time."

Gin bobbed his head in delight and tossed Szayel's body to Mayuri, who caught it with a revolted sneer. "Part one of the reward's yours," the silver-haired man chortled.

Mayuri beckoned Nemu over and dumped the Espada into her arms, turning away after ordering her to put it somewhere where it would not rot. "Do you know anything about this?" he asked Gin, waving vaguely in the computer's direction.

Gin neared the keyboard and peered up into the glowing screen, his smile becoming more surprised than amused. "Well, well. It seems Yume-chan's been enhancing her, ah, technical abilities."

Mayuri let out a sharp, angry hiss. "So it was her, then?" he asked. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed; he'd still be able to tear Nemu's vocal cords out, but it wouldn't be as much fun because it was not a punishment.

Gin nodded and reached his spider-like fingers over the keys. "Uh-huh. I'm pretty sure, anyway; it's just her style. She learned how to do it a while ago, but I guess she's improved if she was able to hack into _your _computer. All this needs is a password."

His fingers flew over the keys, and Mayuri bared his teeth in confusion as the word played out on the screen. "'Dono-san'?" he repeated. "What kind of a password is that?"

"The good kind, apparently."

Mayuri folded his arms and let out an irritated sigh as the words cleared off the screen, and the file he'd been looking for quickly popped up. His frustration with his own inability to figure out Yume's code swiftly evaporated as he skimmed over the information, his features dissolving into outright shock.

"What?" he muttered, forgetting himself and nearly shoving Gin aside in an attempt to get closer to the computer. His eyes nearly bulged out of his mask, and his lips peeled back in outrage. "That's…that's impossible! There's no way she could have masked something like that! How could _anyone _hide that?!"

The twelfth-division captain whirled on Gin, who was merely smirking smugly at him. "You," he seethed. "What are you not telling me?"

"Everything ya need to begin your, ah, 'experimentation process' is there. That's all I'm going to give ya. If I said anything else, that'd be telling! I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out eventually, though; you're a smart kind of guy. That's why I came to ya."

The ex-captain turned to leave, but hesitated, and looked back over his shoulder. "I won't tell anyone about our little deal if you won't say anything. Just find a way to contact me when you've gotten all ya can get. I'll be back to check up on how you're doin' every now n' then. Oh, and as for your misgivings about betraying Soul Society…well, don't think of it as turning against them. You're doing them a favor, ridding them of a dangerous threat. Sometimes we hafta go behind people's backs for the greater good. Think of this as…oh, an underhand job."

* * *

A/N: I apologize for the lack of action in this chapter. So much of it was dialogue…but then again, so was the last chapter, and you guys seemed to enjoy that…oh well. Things will be back to normal next chapter, and with more ByaYume, too…

This is the fifteenth chapter. Hold on…fifteenth…woah…-is in shock-

We're more than halfway through the story, people! And I don't know if I should do a sequel or not! :O There's just so many possible fanfics running through my head right now, that I'm not sure which one to pick! I think this might be a one-fic gig…but I'm not certain yet. It depends. But I'm pretty sure there won't be a sequel.

Review on your way out, if ya please…and I really hope to get the next update out faster than I did with this one. I would've had it out sooner, but, really; AP is killer.

I'm exhausted and it's not even ten thirty yet. What is WRONG with me...? So goodnight, everyone.

zzzz...

-Kimsa


	16. Sixteen: Poker Face

Phew. Done. And it didn't even take that long.

-Pretends she didn't see readers' incredulous glares-

...What? It was quicker than the last wait...

Your reviews pushed us past sixty? Wowww. -feels special- You've no idea how happy that makes me! Happy birthday to me...and happy election day too...oooh...

Disclaimer: Fweh...uh, let's pick a card...aha! ...Kenpachi Zaraki?

Zaraki: Huh. Figures.

Me: What figures? Your unbelievable luck?

Zaraki: -stare of death-

Me: Eeek...

Zaraki: Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach or its characters. She only owns Yume Yamazaki, and Skinner.

Me: He scares me...

Zaraki: -death glare-

Me: -Hides-

Zaraki: Humph. -____-

* * *

Sixteen

Poker Face

The words ricocheted off the walls of the meeting room, resounding over and over in his ears, though growing fainter every minute, as was his doubt of their clarity. They seemed trapped within his skull once they entered, stunning his mind and mouth into silence.

Byakuya had ample opportunity to grasp the meaning of the words, but his mind refused to comprehend reality. He stared at the craggy mound of frown lines and unyielding austerity before him. When he spoke, his voice was distant, detached, that of a sleeper just beginning to stumble back into the world of the conscious.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou?"

The Commander-General's frown deepened, forming sharp canyon lines across his aged, scarred face. He offered impatience for Byakuya's lack of understanding, and once again, indiscernible words were slipping into the captain's unyielding brain.

"I thought I made myself perfectly clear, Kuchiki-taichou. It has been requested that Yume Yamazaki be transferred under the care of another, and I have accepted. Now all that is needed is your approval – though I doubt that should be a problem."

Simple and clear. The message was there, in the open, something he'd been waiting to hear for what seemed like countless eons spent in _her _company: _she is no longer your responsibility. You are free to go._

Wonderful, liberating words. Then why could he not understand them? Why did his mind simply refuse to acknowledge their meaning? There was an odd sort of ringing in his ears, one he'd only gotten once before: when Rukia had been dangled from Aizen's grasp, and Gin's zanpakutou had been aimed at her heart. Too many emotions rang through his mind at the moment. Shock, denial, bafflement, and…one he could not determine the exact name for, but even so was making something inside his chest feel very heavy, so heavy that for a moment he wildly feared that it might drag him through the wooden floor with its weight. The ridiculousness of the thought struck him, clearing some of the alien haze that had pervaded his awareness, and Byakuya spoke once more.

"And…may I ask as to why this request was issued?" he ventured. His voice sounded unnaturally hollow and uncaring, even to him. He acknowledged that he should be feeling more, expressing something other than a detached sense of indifference, in the back of his conscious, but the cold feeling quickly filling his body swiftly numbed his mind into pliant submission.

If Yamamoto considered his lack of response strange, he did not comment on it. "Yes," the elderly captain said instead, "you may. Apparently, the captain who asked to be given command over Yamazaki thought that she would only get in your way, and wished to relieve you of such a burden. After all, with the war just around the corner, we cannot have a child under your feet. You are one of our most capable captains, and to have you distracted during battle because of some girl would be a liability and a hindrance to our success. You have just finished relaying all the information you have gathered from being Yamazaki's supervisor, and I must admit, I am disappointed. I had expected the answers I asked for, not the trivial quirks of her juvenile mind. Obviously, this experiment was an outright failure. There is to be nothing more gained from it. Besides, I can see that the child irritates you. Hopefully she will not prove to be such a nuisance to her new supervisor."

_The child irritates you. _True. She was impulsive, she was wild and untamable, and she seemed to know nothing of simple etiquette. She was everything he worked hard to erase from himself and everyone around him. And she resisted his attempts to drive her off with even stronger-willed efforts to adhere to him like an unremovable burr.

But for some inexplicable reason, when his superior's words finally sunk in and drove their meaning into his consciousness, he found himself balking. Hard as he might try, Byakuya was forced to realize one simple fact: the girl had grown on him. He didn't want her to go. She irritated him, but she simultaneously entertained him in some strange way.

If she left, there would be an empty space pervading his every movement and thought.

And the weakness of his own spirit shook him to his core.

"If I might ask, Yamamoto-soutaichou," he said quietly, "who was it that asked to relieve me of my charge?"

Yamamoto eyed him silently before speaking, and when he did, his words struck down a pillar of strength holding together Byakuya's composure.

"Kurotsuchi-taichou."

Byakuya warded off the urge to close his eyes, settling for a deep, soothing breath instead. Kurotsuchi. The mad scientist of the Gotei 13, the terror of young shinigamis' nightmares, the vile monster who was willing to turn his own subordinates into living bombs in order to destroy his enemies. Yume seemed unafraid of him, but Byakuya had never trusted the girl's judgment in the slightest bit. Only another reason she needed someone by her side, someone who was able to steer her from such unwise paths of action, someone like himself…

With that thought, Byakuya Kuchiki, the ice-captain, the unassailable, untouchable legend of the Gotei 13, nearly shuddered with revulsion at the realization that Yume Yamazaki had managed to leave her mark on him.

"Kuchiki-taichou?"

Byakuya's gaze shifted to meet that of his superior's. He did not like the look Yamamoto was giving him. It was almost as if he could see straight into the heart of Byakuya's conflict, as if he were contemplating the captain's foundations, rewriting the respectful aspects everyone seemed to have for him.

_A compromising of my dignity. A challenge. A test._

Which path led to failure?

"I have told you the answers to your questions," Yamamoto continued. "Now, as I have said before, I need only your consent to remove Yamazaki from your supervision. Well, Kuchiki-taichou? What is your answer?"

Byakuya felt an iron claw seize his chest, choking off his air supply.

_Choose. Choose. It should not be this hard! It should not take this long! Choose!_

_Duty. Dignity. Friendship. Attachment._

_…Weakness, or strength? If you give your consent, you will turn her over to a creature of no morals, no kindness, no boundaries for the pain he could – no, will, inflict on her. He is a monster!_

_But…_

_Make a choice. Make your choice, Byakuya Kuchiki: Yume Yamazaki…or your pride? Attachment, or the preservation of your so-called untouchable legend?_

Byakuya felt the claw tighten sharply, briefly, and barely refrained from letting out a small sigh of relief when it released its hold.

_Choose._

Byakuya chose.

* * *

Yume stared at the hand outstretched before her. The monster it belonged to, a creature of manipulated limbs and synthetic form, opened his mouth wide in a devil's grin and chuckled.

"Why the hesitation, Yamazaki?" Mayuri leered. "I've told you everything you need to know. There's not much you can do."

Setsuna positively howled with rage in the confines of Yume's conscious. _That freak! That sick, twisted, dog-faced freak! Let me out, Yume, let me out right _now_. You see what I told you? He's come back to get you! I told you to stay out of his way. I told you._

Yume did not reply to her sister, swallowing to wet her parched throat. She stood outside the entrance to the meeting hall, dutifully staying put, as Byakuya had ordered her to do so when he went to converse with Yamamoto. She wished now, with all her might, that she could somehow turn back time and run, run as hard and fast as she could, far away from here. Byakuya would be angry, unspeakably so, but that was nothing compared to what she was going through at the moment.

"You…you're lying," she whispered. "There's no file like that. How could there be? What you're saying is…that's insane. You're insane! Stop it, Kurotsuchi-kun! Stop laughing at me like that!"

Mayuri's cackling died off, cut off as swiftly as life by a guillotine's blade, and he fixed her with a dangerous look in his orange-gold gaze. "Still you insist on addressing me by that insipid nickname? You stupid, stupid little girl – I'm not your friend, so why do you insist on calling me one? I have all the evidence I need, there in my division, to wipe away all the mystery you've covered yourself with and reveal you for the worthless little abomination you are. Oh, what's that? Fear, I see. You can't hide it from me, little girl, you know what you've done. You know what you are. _And you can't run anymore._"

Yume's world was closing in around her. She could feel her defenses crackling, her unbreakable shields raining around her in a cascade of debris. Why wasn't anyone stopping to help her? Why wasn't anyone around when she actually needed someone to be? Anyone who did pass by skirted around the pair, almost as if trying to avoid an invisible bubble of misfortune and disaster. No one wanted to get hurt.

_So you see, now, that you can't rely on people anymore, _Setsuna said coldly. _They're never there when you need them! Where is Ishida? Where is Inoue? Kurosaki, Sado; hell, _anyone_? _

_Help, someone. _Zazie's voice, ever quiet and subdued, was a mere whisper brushing against the fringes of Yume's consciousness. _Where are our friends, Nee-san? Where? Who?_

"Byakuya-kun," Yume heard herself breathe.

Mayuri's scornful laughter burned in her ears. "Kuchiki! Really, Yamazaki, I'd thought even someone as pathetically obtuse as you would understand that he's not coming to help you."

Yume's hands curled into fists, and she felt a spark of anger, raw and unexpected, burst in her chest. "He'll come," she insisted. "He's right inside this building. He told me to stay here, because he wants to protect me, so I know he'd come if anything happened…"

Mayuri bore his tombstone-like teeth in a condescending sneer. "Oh, stop being such a naïve little child, Yamazaki. Do you know what I think? Do you know what I did just before coming here? I asked Yamamoto a favor. Nothing much, just a little hint of advice, a request that I'm sure he saw the advantages of. He agreed with me. And all that we need now is your precious captain's assent. And then, do you know what you will be, Yamazaki? What you will become?"

Her senses shrieked at her desperately to turn and run, now, before he could utter the words that she knew would destroy something delicate inside her. She wanted to run. She wanted to with all her soul, Byakuya's anger be damned. But her feet refused to move. Setsuna and Zazie had gone terrifyingly silent in her mind, but she could feel pain, the same pain she was feeling, rolling off of them in waves.

Yume locked gazes with Mayuri, and was caught in the intense, dark glee she saw in his gold eyes. Silently, slowly, she shook her head.

And Mayuri, grinning like a cat that had just trapped the juiciest mouse of all, leaned forward to clutch her chin between two bone-thin fingers.

"_Mine, _Yamazaki," he hissed.

Yume felt her resolve break into a thousand jagged pieces and let out a small squeak, trying to back away and break Mayuri's hold on her. He drove his fingernails into her skin and threw back his head with a sharp burst of cackling laughter, even as she winced and whimpered at the pain.

The sound of a large door swinging open interrupted Mayuri's triumphant glee, and Yume suddenly found herself free, the monstrous captain retreating. Her hands immediately went to her face, where her bruised skin burned painfully. Mayuri's nails had left deep, half-moon indentations on her cheeks. She half expected him to begin laughing again at her weakness, but he remained silent from where he had drawn back. Feeling surprise and curiosity pique her interest, she looked up to see who had walked in just in time.

It was Byakuya. The captain's grey eyes scanned the area around them, pausing briefly on Mayuri. Yume thought she saw a flicker of some unnamed emotion in his cool gaze – disgust, hatred, surprise? – and then he was staring right at her, piercing her with those masked orbs and making her feel as humbled as she ever felt around him. She found herself staring back, and Mayuri's words slid into her thoughts.

"_I asked Yamamoto a favor. He agreed with me. And all that we need now is your precious captain's assent. And then, do you know what you will be, Yamazaki? Mine."_

What had Byakuya been asked to agree to? What kind of request could make Mayuri so sure that Yume was about to become his?

Something passed through Byakuya's gaze then, and this time, she knew exactly what it was, even before he turned away from her.

Guilt. Raw, unadulterated guilt.

_Bya-kun, what have you done?  
_"Aaah, Kuchiki-taichou. Back at last. You look decidedly relieved."

Yume cringed at the sound of Mayuri's scratchy voice. Byakuya's unfeeling mask was instantly back in place, and he looked in a different direction, as if his attention was something neither of them was worthy of.

Mayuri's smug smile soured, and he shuffled closer to the unresponsive captain, his head tilted inquiringly. "I assume Yamamoto-soutaichou told you of my request."

"He did." Byakuya's answer was curt and cold, and this did not escape Mayuri's notice. His frown rotted into an unfriendly grimace.

"And?" He prompted impatiently. "What did you say?"

Byakuya directed his gaze back at Yume. She found herself wanting to shiver and back away at the lack of warmth she found there. Even when he behaved as he did every day in his usual stoic manner, his eyes had never seemed so alien, so unwelcoming, so…_uncaring _to her as they did now. It was almost as if Byakuya was gone, retreated behind an ice wall that he had willingly set up to deflect any attempts to reach him.

The blatant indifference in his eyes hurt her more than Mayuri and his cruel words had.

Byakuya's gaze was shifting once more, back to Mayuri, who was now making no effort to hide his exasperation. "I gave my consent," he answered flatly.

Mayuri's face immediately brightened, his lipless mouth widening in a grotesque grin of victory. "Ha!" he barked. "Well, well. You made the right choice, Kuchiki-taichou. Yamazaki was only hindering you. It will be better for you now that she's no longer able to get in your way."

Yume started at that, confusion and alarm pervading her senses. "What? What does he mean, Bya-kun? What did you agree to?"

Mayrui rounded on her, his eyes flashing with malevolent hate. "Shut up, Yamazaki!"

Byakuya appeared between them so fast that Yume took a step back in surprise. The sixth-division captain had his back to her, but she didn't need the disgruntled expression on Mayuri's face to know that the veiled emotion he was hiding must be terrible. She could hear icicles forming on his words when he spoke, ice cracking beneath the quiet threat in his voice.

"Careful, Kurotsuchi-taichou," Byakuya said. "Yamazaki may no longer be in my custody, but I did not relinquish my role as her supervisor to see her abused."

Any fondness Yume felt when Byakuya came to her defense paled and withered away as quickly as hope beneath the cruelty of a desert sun. Something cold invaded the confines of her chest, and she resisted the urge to shudder for the second time in ten minutes.

"What, Bya-kun? You're not my guardian anymore? Why? You…you agreed to give me up? Then who…?"

She didn't need him to answer her question. The leering smile Mayuri was giving her, and the fact that Byakuya still had not turned to face her told her all she needed to know.

The realization hit her with enough force to knock her balance free of her legs. Suddenly, she understood what Mayuri had meant when he'd said that if Byakuya agreed to his request, she would be "his." He'd meant it literally; with her custody in Mayuri's hands, he had control over her every move, her every action, her every breath. She knew he would not treat her as Byakuya had. She knew he would hurt her.

Tears scalded her eyes, and her throat constricted in an anaconda's grip. "Why?" she heard herself ask hoarsely. "Why, Byakuya? Why? Kurotsuchi-kun…he…you…"

Mortification and shame slammed down on her, driven by betrayal and hurt as she let out a tiny sob. "Why?" she gasped, unable to ask anything more.

Byakuya remained immobile in front of her. She wondered if he had heard her, and then when she knew that he had, wondered if he even cared that she was hurting. His next words provided an answer to her questions.

"The winter war will be here in less than several days," he said calmly. "I cannot have your incessant whining and pestering diverting me from the fight. There is too much at stake here to put your childish whims above the lives of others. In order to fulfill my duty to the best of my ability, I need you away from me. You understand, I'm sure. Kurotsuchi will provide a sufficient guardian for the meantime."

He was gone, leaving her without sparing her even the shortest goodbye, long before her shell-shocked mind had enough time to come up with a reply. She stared after him in silence, too stunned to think of running after him. Her head felt achingly empty, too calm in such a devastating situation, and her lungs felt like they were filling with the tears that refused to fall from her eyes.

Mayuri was moving forward and talking to her, gripping her shoulder tightly, possessively, but she didn't hear or feel anything except the hollow silence left in desolation's wake.

* * *

_Hueco Mundo, several days later…_

Skinner was restless.

The constant clicking of his nails against the slick, polished floor was beginning to annoy even him, but the pent-up energy in his legs simply refused to let him stand still. He paced back and forth, flexing his talons as he did. He could feel blood on them already, sliding hot and steaming over his dead flesh. He imagined its taste on his tongue, bitter and coppery and undeniably delicious.

That insect's blood. Yamazaki's blood.

And the blood of his lesser Hollows, too, if they didn't hurry as he'd ordered them to and get their scrawny hides back here before he crossed the room again…

Almost as if they'd heard his unspoken threat, the pair of Hollows he'd sent out lumbered in through the gargantuan door. The some fifty Hollows around Skinner let out eager growls, nearly trembling with anticipation. He held back a grimace of frustration. These Hollows would not nearly be competent enough to aid him in Yamazaki's capture; he'd heard that she was now under the guard of the twelfth division captain, the one who had reduced Szayel Aporro Grantz into an unresponsive lump. Somehow, he doubted retrieving the girl was going to be very easy. Aizen knew this, and still he refused to allow anyone at or over the rank of lesser Arrancar to accompany Skinner's squadron into the Seireitei.

They might all be slaughtered, but he swore he would have Yamazaki in his claws even if such…regretful results had to come of it.

The Hollows that had just entered approached him and bobbed their heads in a shallow show of deference. Skinner brought himself to his full height. He hadn't missed the lack of any vocal greeting on their part, and it angered him.

"Report," he said gruffly.

"It's late, Skinner," the first Hollow rasped. "The moon rose long ago in their world. They won't be ready, but they'll be quick to respond; they know the war is almost here."

"You weren't discovered?"

"No," the second Hollow replied. The hunch-backed creature frowned in confusion, its eyes narrowing in suspicion. "We showed up at the edge of the twelfth division, far enough that we didn't cause any disturbances, but still…my partner and I find it strange that no one detected our presence. That division's captain is supposed to be one of the more perceptive ones in the Gotei 13."

Skinner found himself frowning along with his subordinates. That _was_ odd, now that he thought about it. Kurotsuchi – that was the shinigami's name, if he remembered correctly – or any of his division members should have been able to pick up his Hollows' presence. Usually, he would have more faith in his team members; but these ones were new recruits, and he doubted any of them had the amount of wits it took to keep out of sight.

He shrugged the thought away. It didn't matter. They were going to leave before the hour was up, anyway.

"Never mind that," he grunted. "As long as the shinigami have no word of our arrival and are not rallying to defend themselves, our mission should go as planned. Remember, we're not infiltrating the Seireitei just to terrorize a couple of baby-faced shinigami. We are to locate Yume Yamazaki, restrain and subdue her, and bring her back here as quickly as possible. Anyone staying behind to play with the shinigami will be considered dead…and no doubt will be so before we even announce the loss of your life to Aizen-sama."

Skinner could tell that ruffled the feathers of more than one of his subordinates. Well, too bad. He had a mission to complete, and he didn't intend to be executed simply because a couple of inexperienced recruits could not control their bloodlust.

"Right. Everyone knows what we have to do. Get in your groups and prepare the garganta."

Skinner's mouth lifted up into a jagged smile. It was time to kill.

* * *

A/N: I sincerely hope none of this seemed rushed at all. I just didn't want anything to drag on; it's time we neared the climax, anyways! :)

Something You Never Knew About The Ivory Deity:

-I gave it the unofficial nickname "TID." :)

Next Chapter: "Gone." _While Yume struggles to cope with Byakuya's absence and Kurotsuchi's cruelty, Skinner drops in uninvited in the Seireitei...and all hell breaks loose when the ryoka girl goes missing under the twelfth-division captain's watch._


	17. Seventeen: Time To Kill

A/N: Here you all are: the seventeenth chapter! I should really be doing homework right now! But guess what's even better. I don't care! :D

Reviews are lovely. Thank yous!! Oh, and I changed the title...sorry. :D

Disclaimer: dun dun dun duuunnn….Unohana-taichou!

Me: (muttering) The scary witch-lady.

Unohana: I'm sorry, dear? I didn't quite catch that.

Me: Oh. Uh. You're my favorite captain and your braid is the prettiest I've ever seen?

Unohana: Oh, that's sweet of you. For a moment, I thought you called me a bad name.

Me: Oh, no. No, not me. Haha ha. Ha. Ha.

Unohana: Yes, and it's a good thing you're such a well-behaved girl. I would hate to see any harm come to you. Why, with such dirty little tongues, it's no wonder young people lead such short lives nowadays.

Me: O.O…….

Unohana: Well, I suppose I'd best continue on if the readers are to read the story. Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach. She only owns Yume Yamazaki and Skinner, as well as this plot.  
Me: - still in deer-in-headlights-mode – I…I seem to be getting terrorized by my guests more and more often…

Unohana: :) Terrorized? What are you trying to imply, dear?  
Me: … - takes off –

Unohana: :)

* * *

Seventeen

Time To Kill

"Setsuna. Zazie. Yume. Setsuna! Zazie! Yume! SetsunaZazieYume! SetsunaZazieYume! SetsunaZazieYume! Setsuna —"

"_Enough!_"

Mayuri stared apathetically into the heat of Setsuna's enraged glare, the intense waves of hatred seeming to flow from her sister's body not affecting him in the slightest. Her body trembled with fury and exhaustion, the latter so prominent that her face had gone white and her eyes too wide from over-exertion. The green orbs seemed even brighter than usual, livid in the midst of her emotion.

"That…is…_enough_," she gasped haltingly.

Colorless, gaunt fingers formed a sharp steeple of bone and muscle and skin as Mayuri leaned forward, his mouth bared in an animalistic sneer. "Oh? Is that so? And since when did you give the orders to _my _experiment, reprobate? Have you forgotten your position in our little agreement? Hmm?"

Setsuna's anger swirled torrentially inside her, a scorching whirlpool of charged hate for the…the _creature_ before her. No amount of secrecy, privacy, or freedom was worth this!

_Nee-san. Please. Don't forget._

Dark lashes fell closed over vivid green orbs as Setsuna took a deep breath through her sister's body. Yume's voice was weak, terribly strained and quiet. Out of all three sisters, she was the one who'd taken the brunt of Mayuri's experiment. Even Zazie, who had never been strong to begin with, had more vitality at the moment than her.

Setsuna grit her teeth. No. No pity. She would not be swayed.

_Yume, this man is out to kill us! It has been three days already. Three days! Seventy-two hours! _

_But…he didn't start the experiment until yesterday…_

_Oh, don't try to sugar-coat things! What's the point of all this, anyway? What does he _want _from us?_

Mayuri, standing at the other side of the dank room, began to speak. "I won't have any interruptions from your sisters, Yamazaki. Continue on with the drill."

Setsuna stared at him angrily. "How can you possibly expect us to continue? Yume and Zazie are too tired to go on!"

"And you're not?" Mayuri asked dubiously. Setsuna lifted her head stubbornly.

"I can take whatever sick trials your twisted mind can think up."

"If you can, then so can your siblings," Mayuri said, interrupting as she tried to speak over him. "I rather think there's something wrong in your head, girl. Don't you remember why we're having this little excursion?"

Oh, she remembered. She needed only to look around her at the dim, near-lightless prison cell to know why she was doing this. The vile smells that assaulted her nose were constantly goading her throat to gag, and the suspicious stains splattered against the walls and floor were looking more and more like ancient, dried blood with every passing minute. Setsuna did not know where they were; Mayuri made sure she and her sisters were unconscious whenever he brought them here, but she suspected that it was far outside the reaches of the Seireitei.

She hurt all over. Yume's body was not accustomed to switching owners so quickly, and under so much pressure. Setsuna hated to think that this was one of the easiest parts of Mayuri's experiments; the day before had been the hardest, with him setting obstacle courses for her to run through like a terrified, trapped mouse, all the while with him shouting for her to switch control of Yume's body, always switching, too much stress and strain, her surroundings a chaotic blur as she ran…

Near the end Yume, finally in control of her own body, had fallen unconscious when she failed to avoid one of the metal appendages, part of Mayuri's "experiment," swinging from the ceiling. When they'd woken up, they had been lying on the floor back inside Mayuri's division, their first view that of the demented captain typing away feverishly on his keyboard. Yume's entire side had felt like it had been shattered and hastily put back together again. The nasty bruising and current limp she now had in her stride probably only encouraged Mayuri to push them further, because he didn't seem to mind that his test subject had been damaged. In fact, he told them himself that it was all contributing towards his ultimate goal, an objective that none of them had been able to figure out.

The clown-like maniac gave her a leering grimace, teeth bared in distaste. "I asked you a question, Yamazaki," he said, his scratchy voice low and threatening. Setsuna clenched her fists.

Yume pleaded weakly with her. _Setsuna..._

_"A little while ago, I discovered a certain file on you, Yume Yamazaki."_

Setsuna kept her eyes firmly closed, her breathing tight and controlled in her aching chest as the memory of Mayuri's proposal for an experiment leaked back to her.

_"There's no file. You're lying, Kurotsuchi-kun."_

_"Such impertinence! And to your rightful guardian, too. Don't forget, Yamazaki, you're under my watch now. Kuchiki betrayed you. He left you for…aha, pardon the terrible cliché, but he left you for dead. Oh, don't look so heart-wrenchingly _sad_! It irritates me to no end. So, since you're so doubtful, why don't I show you the file? Then you can see for yourself that I'm not lying."_

He had shown her the file. She had read and denied, but he had trapped her in the end with the terrible truth, the dark past that she'd tried to hide but only succeeded in bringing to light for the worst person that she possibly could have.

And he had proposed a monstrous deal, and she had accepted.

_"I say we make a deal. You become my little test subject, and I won't tell anyone about your secret. Sound fair enough? I won't hurt you, I promise. You'll only be harmed if you allow yourself to be."_

Well, he kept his promise. She was only hurt because she had failed – _they _had failed to be strong enough.

Mayuri's voice whipped Setsuna back to the present.

"Yamazaki. _Answer me._"

She opened her eyes, held her head high, and ceased to tremble under the weight of her plight.

"Yes, I remember," she said acidly. "I remember, Kurotsuchi, and I'm not going to forget."

He narrowed sharp eyes at her, trying to decide if there was a threat in her reply that he could not immediately detect. She remained silent and proud, staring at him unflinchingly until he finally grunted in satisfaction and waved one bony hand at her.

"Good. Now, we've had enough of a break to last you a while – continue. Zazie."

Setsuna took in a shuddering breath, forced her pride back down her protesting, parched throat, and gripped her sister's bell tightly.

"Zazie."

* * *

_Many hours later, the Seireitei, 12__th__ division…_

Yume awoke to quiet, hurried knocking on the wall. She was instantly awake, and immediately wished she could sink back into the painless abyss of sleep. Her body ached in places she hadn't even known existed, and the bruising left from getting bowled over by one of Mayuri's machines throbbed with a vengeance any time she so much as twitched.

Blinking exhaustion from her drooping eyes, she gave her head a quick shake and climbed gingerly off her stiff cot. She could see more than one shadow moving in the hallway light beyond the thin sliding door that cut her room off from the rest of the twelfth division. She frowned. It couldn't be Mayuri; he was the only one who came to see her, and he had never brought anyone, save Nemu one brief time, with him when he did. Then who was it?

The knocking resumed, followed by a voice calling out. She blinked, her eyes widening in surprise and joy when she recognized its owner.

"Yamazaki-san? Yamazaki-san, are you in there?"

_Ishida-kun?_

She hurried to the sliding door with a spring in her step, wincing at the pain it brought but determinedly ignoring it in her haste and excitement. Her room wasn't hard to walk across; there was nothing more than a single cabinet, for her clothes, and her bed obstructing the way, and even without excess furniture, the room was tiny. It didn't bother her. She usually wasn't in the Seireitei, let alone her room, most of the time.

Yume slid her door open and was nearly knocked off her feet the moment she did. She found herself smothered in a crushing embrace and let out a strained sound that was muffled by a curtain of silky orange hair.

"Oh!" The culprit released her, though she kept her slender hands placed firmly on Yume's shoulders, and leaned back. Yume found herself looking up into Orihime's concerned gaze.

"I'm so sorry, Yamazaki-san!" The taller girl apologized. "I didn't mean to be too rough. It's just, we haven't seen you in a while, and we were all worried for you."

_We?_

Peering up and over Orihime's shoulder, Yume spotted not only Uryu, but Ichigo, Chad, and Rukia standing in the hallway too. They offered her uncertain smiles, and she quavered as she felt their questioning gazes probe her battered figure. She didn't doubt she looked a little the worse for wear; she'd been offered food, but her rebellious stomach had refused to accept anything she forced into it, and her sleep was often short-lived.

Yume returned her gaze to Orihime. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I didn't know Kurotsuchi-kun would let you in…"

The smiles faded from her friends' faces, and Ichigo spoke up. "Well, no…he didn't. We kind of snuck in."

Yume's eyes went wide. "You…really?"

Chad nodded. "Kurotsuchi wasn't anywhere near, so we just walked in when no one was looking. We had to follow your spirit energy to find you."

"We've tried getting in before," Uryu broke in, "but they wouldn't let us, even when we kept coming back."

Yume nodded in understanding and hastily beckoned them into her room. "Quick, you should come inside; if anyone sees you here, you'll be punished."

They filed in one by one, each offering her that same hesitant, pitying smile as they did. She winced internally at their inquisitive concern. Suspicious questions about her current state were really not what she needed at the moment, especially with Mayuri liable to come barging in at any second.

Yume tried to hide the pained shuffle in her step as she made her way to her bed and lowered herself down at a frustratingly slow pace until she was sitting on the unyielding mattress. When she looked up, she found her friends' laser-like stares piercing her trembling frame.

_Very subtle, _Setsuna remarked dryly.

"Yamazaki-san," Uryu said softly, "what's the matter?"

It took all her resolve to summon up a fake, cheery smile to plaster on her drawn face. "Nothing, Ishida-kun! Why do you ask?"  
Ichigo's characteristic frown deepened at her denial. "Well, maybe because you look like you've been dead twice over, move like you're ready to fall over at any second, and didn't hug Inoue back when she saw you."

Rukia came forward, her large eyes pleading. "Yamazaki-san, if there's something wrong, you should tell us, you know."

"Is it Kurotsuchi?" Uryu's voice was harder and colder than steel, his cobalt eyes glinting ominously.

Yume shook her head hastily, briefly scrunching up her eyes at an intense flash of pain the motion brought. "No, no," she replied with a wide smile, "me and Kurotsuchi-kun are having a great time! It's just, ah…well, I've been having nightmares, you know, and they're not so good for your health."

_Nightmares. _Yume could almost see her older sister huff and cross her arms irritably. _Nightmares, Yume? Would _nightmares_ reduce you to _this_ in three days?_

_It's better than nothing, _Zazie argued quietly.

_Shut up, Zazie._

Apparently, her friends didn't fully believe her either. Ichigo scowled. "Uh-huh."

Trying to relieve the awkward silence that fell afterwards, Orihime pranced over to Yume and surveyed the desolate room with a practiced eye. "Well, this is a nice room you have here, Yamazaki-san. Nice and…um…cozy."

She plopped down on the rigid bed next to Yume, and immediately winced when it barely moved under her weight. "Ow…"

Uryu let out an irritated sigh, his mouth turning down in a disapproving frown. "Alright, you can stop pretending now, Yamazaki-san. We can all see that you're not happy here. I'm sure Unohana-taichou has a room for you over in her division, so why don't you come with us so we can —"

"No!"

Yume felt what little blood was left in her pallid face drain away as her friends stared at her in surprise and confusion. She chuckled nervously and got to her feet, unconsciously wringing her wrists. "I'm fine here, really, Ishida-kun. Thank you for asking, though. I don't really have anywhere to go, anyway; Yama-sama's already said that Kurotsuchi-kun is my guardian, so I can't leave him unless I want to be under suspicion again. Besides, who would want to watch me? I'm just trouble, you know? That's why…umm…that's why…"

Her words dribbled away into a desolated silence, throbbing and pulsing with the recent hurt she'd received. Yume felt warm consolation come from her sisters, and felt Setsuna's comforting, insubstantial hand on her quavering shoulder.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Anyway…how is Bya-kun?" A watery smile hovered on her lips, and she blinked rapidly to clear away the stinging tears. "Is…is his life back to being the boring old routine that it was?"

Uryu shook his head minimally. "We don't know. We haven't been to see him since…well, since you went under Kurotsuchi's watch."

"I heard that he's even quieter than usual," Orihime said in a tentative voice from Yume's cot. "It's just some rumors that I heard. Some people are saying that he's become kind of irritable, too, however weird that is. You…you know, I think he kind of misses you, Yamazaki-san."

Yume's heart skipped a brief beat, and she looked over at Orihime with wide, hopeful eyes. Inside her head, Setsuna immediately reprimanded her.

_Don't get so excited. We don't need that fool. He hurt you, just like I said he would, and I'm getting the sense that if you try to get close to him again, the same thing will happen. It's just in his nature, Yume. Stop taking it so personal!  
_But how could she not take it personal? He had been her guardian, and she had thought that he'd considered her at least a close acquaintance, if not a friend, as she desperately hoped was the case. And he'd chosen to leave her in Mayuri's hands, where she was suffering more than ever.

"Really?" She asked Orihime, hearing Setsuna snort and Zazie sigh at how eager her voice sounded. She ignored them both.

Orihime nodded brightly, a wide smile gracing her radiant face as she realized she was close to cheering her distraught friend. "Yeah, yeah! A lot of people are talking about it. You should go talk to him, Yamazaki-san. Maybe he'll reconsider letting Kurotsuchi-taichou being your guardian."

"Well, I don't know about that," Yume said, rubbing her head sheepishly, "he seemed pretty serious about his decision. But…I-I guess it's worth a try, huh?"

Orihime leapt up and threw her arm around the smaller girl's shoulders, steering her towards the sliding door. "That's the spirit, Yamazaki-san! I know it's kind of late and he's probably getting ready to sleep right now, but I just know Kuchiki-taichou will be willing to hear you ou—"

Yume felt Mayuri's reiatsu only a moment before he hurled her door open. She froze in her tracks and felt Orihime go stiff by her side, both girls staring up with frightened eyes into the ghoulish captain's furious gaze.

Setsuna swore vividly, her panic permeating Yume's awareness. _Damn it! How could we have not noticed his reiatsu? You can smell its reek from a mile away!  
He looks mad, Nee-san, _Zazie whimpered meekly. _Maybe you shouldn't stand so close to him…_

Mayuri glared down at Yume, his mouth wide open in a malicious frown. "Yamazaki?" he said, and she winced at the dangerous tone in his voice. His scathing gaze slid over her and Orihime, resting on her other friends, whose wariness was so thick she could almost feel it sliding along the air.

"What are you doing here? I don't recall letting you in."

Yume turned her head to see Ichigo step forward, his scowling face showing not a hint of fear. "Do we need your permission to go places? We didn't think so, and there's no law against it, so we just –"

The look Mayuri fixed the orange-haired boy with was enough to make Yume tremble. "_Get out_," he hissed.

"Kurotsuchi-taichou!" Rukia came to stand in front of Ichigo, obviously hoping that whatever retort he was planning to utter wouldn't make it past his lips. "Sir, we just wanted to visit Yamazaki-san. We didn't think that you would be offended by it. It's just a visit —"

"I am only going to say this once, and if I have to repeat myself, I will be very angry," Mayuri said slowly. "While you're in my division, you go by my rules. If you don't, I throw you out. It's as simple as that. Now, I'm being gracious enough to let you all leave without any incidents – that is, unless you refuse. Then I'm afraid I'll have to call someone over to, ah, _escort_ you out. Do you understand?"

Silence. Yume found herself unable to look at her friends, her gaze nailed to the wooden floorboards beneath her by a pike of fear. She was afraid that her friends would be hurt by this man, of course, but she shamefully admitted that she was more frightened for her own well-being. It made her want to shudder at the thought of what Mayuri might do to her as punishment for having such audacious companions.

Uryu started to say something that no doubt would have been insulting, or at least not the politest thing to say, but Yume was never able to find out what it was. At that moment a scream tore through the quiet, its edges frayed with terror and agonizing pain. There was a pause in which all life seemed to freeze, and then shocked shouts began ring all around them, seeming to come from everywhere at once.

Mayuri's head jerked up in confusion. "What in the —"

The wall behind them suddenly gave way in an avalanche of dust and debris. Yume saw a large chunk of rubble come hurtling down at her and instinctively hunched her shoulders, screwing her eyes shut. She was surrounded by a warm glow and opened her eyes to find Orihime's shield protecting everyone from the collapsing structure.

When the debris stopped raining around like deadly hail, Orihime released her shield. The others had already drawn their weapons, and Ashisogi was out and ready in Mayuri's hands.

Yume looked to where the wall had been and heard herself scream as a gaunt claw shot forward out of the settling dust, clutched her around the middle, and tore her from her friends' midst.

* * *

"Yamazaki-san!"

Uryu watched in horror as the black-haired girl vanished from his sight. He saw a hulking white mass – _Hollow_ – and a flash of blood-red markings before the dust settled. The wall that had been ripped away by a Hollow's powerful talons had been an outer one, and the dark landscape beyond was a field of violent movement.

It was a writhing mass of Hollow and shinigami, of monster and death-god, all fighting ferociously against each other. Uryu stepped free from the shattered building and blinked hard to banish the light spots from his still-adjusting eyes. There were too many Hollows to locate the one he was looking for; because he knew there was only one Hollow who would infiltrate the Seireitei, bringing a small contingent of his fellow creatures with him, just to find one ryoka girl.

Skinner.

"What…how did all these Hollows get here?"

Uryu turned to see Ichigo and the others by his side. Mayuri was nowhere in sight; the lunatic captain had vanished as soon as Skinner had grabbed Yume.

"The Seireitei's walls should have blocked them," he agreed with Ichigo. He took aim at a nearby Hollow that had noticed them and fired. "That means someone inside must have let them in."

Rukia brought her elegant sword up to face off with a diminutive Hollow. "Three guesses as to who it was."

Uryu grimaced and continued firing, his movements steady and constant. At his side, Orihime propped her shield up to protect them from Hollows looking to take a sneaky shot at any of her friends.

"Ugh!" Ichigo blocked a hit from a towering Hollow and cleaved it through the middle with his zanpakutou. "Ishida! Did you see where that Hollow took Yamazaki?"

"No." Uryu scanned the battlefield, his face set in a grave expression. He still saw no sign of the blue-eyed girl or the red-tattooed Hollow. "I don't know where they went."

"Dammit," Ichigo muttered under his breath.

Uryu's world was a constant explosion of sound and smell. Inhuman cries of anger and all-too-mortal shrieks of agony filled his senses, and the bitter stench of blood was sharp in the air. His arms trembled with pain after a while, which swiftly turned into a hot numbness. He continued his constant routine: draw the bow, take aim, fire. Draw, aim, fire. Draw, aim, fire. It became so engraved in his weary mind that he almost forgot to protect himself.

Orihime was always at his back, shielding him from blows that would have taken his life from him in an instant. One Hollow came so close to getting him that its claws grazed his cheek. He jerked back in alarm and aimed an arrow at its forehead, but he was too slow. It would have killed him if Tsubaki hadn't hurtled past him at that moment and speared the beast through its neck.

Uryu whirled in surprise to see Orihime giving him a smile weak with weariness and fear from the close call. He felt his entire body go shaky with immense gratitude and smiled back.

They had been separated sometime during the fight from the others, but they held their own, moving as one against their foes. Uryu attacked, and Orihime defended. Together, they were unstoppable; apart, neither would have lasted very long in the thrashing violence surrounding them.

Finally, _finally_, it was over. Uryu felt the breath escape him in one relieved gasp as the last Hollow was brought down by a shinigami's blade, and painfully allowed his bow to dissipate. His fingers had been clutching the weapon so tightly that they nearly refused to release it.

Panting in exertion at his side, Orihime dismissed her shield and rested her hands on her trembling knees. Uryu, after a slight hesitation, gave in to the urge to put a consoling hand on her fragile shoulder. She looked up at him in surprise and smiled, reaching up her own hand to grasp his.

"You okay, Inoue-san?" he heard himself ask in a hoarse voice.

She moved her head in an exhausted nod. "Yes, Ishida-kun," she answered. "I'm fine. What about you? That Hollow didn't get you, did it?"

Uryu shook his head and reached a hand to the other side of his face, feeling the small trail of blood there. "Just a scratch, Inoue-san."

She straightened and healed it for him, her soft hands lingering on his face a moment after. He stared at her in surprise and she flashed him an embarrassed smile before turning away, scanning the area with searching grey eyes.

The fight must have been much shorter than it had felt. Hardly anyone had been wounded, and those who were had sustained only mild injuries. Ichigo and Rukia and Chad were standing a short distance away, all beginning to spread out, like the rest of the shinigami, to look for any casualties they might have missed.

The Hollows has dispersed into nothingness, as usual, and there was only debris from the damaged buildings around them to obstruct Uryu's view. He felt something cold permeate his ribcage and swallowed thickly at the empty view.

There was no sign of Yume or Mayuri or Skinner. He heard people calling out names, reaching out for one another, but the cheerful girl's wasn't one of those voices.

Ichigo and the others drew near.

"Ishida," the orange-haired teen greeted. "Do you see her?"

Uryu's gaze met those of his concerned friends, and he knew from the hopelessness in their eyes that what he had feared was true. He shook his head. Orihime twined one of her hands tightly around his and gave a quiet sob at the sudden realization.

Yume was gone.

* * *

A/N: Review, please. :)

Something You Never Knew About The Ivory Deity: (Can we just call this SYNKATID? _Please_?)

-Yume was originally a Quincy, like Uryu, but was totally ignorant of the existence of shinigami. She wasn't anywhere _near_ as hyperactive or…well, _Yume-ish_ as she is now, either. She was more like her deceased sister, Zazie – shy and withdrawn.

- Its original title was "Subsisting Pride," referring to the pride of the Quincy. To subsist is to persevere, to continue.

_Next time: Yume's plight may not be all that it seems. Mayuri lies. Uryu confronts Ichigo on someone important. Uryu and Orihime draw closer to each other than ever before. ...And the war begins. :)_


	18. Eighteen: Gone

A/N: You've no idea how bad I feel. How horribly, horribly BAD I feel...simply terrible, the way I make you wait for a chapter. I have no excuse, other than I hit a major bout of writer's block right about the time my teachers decided to assign mountains of homework to me.

...That just sounded like an excuse, didn't it? Sigh.

As an apology I'll be getting the next chapter out much sooner than this one (much much sooner), and not only because I'm really looking forward to writing it. I know exactly what I'm going to do. In case that's not enough for you, I'm dedicating this chapter to all those who are still reading. I don't know how many of you left, but if you're still there, thank you so so much for sticking with it.

And a special thanks goes to **harri-chan**. Your review gave me that extra shove that I really, really needed. I felt so guilty! So I sat down the minute I read it and typed up almost this entire thing in one sitting. Yup. That's how great you are. :D

On the other hand I am now utterly drained of all my energy and it's not even eight thirty yet. Gosh.

Just a short note: starts out with Gin and quickly moves on to Byakuya, Yamamoto, and Uryu, in that order…so don't be alarmed, it's not another chapter focusing on the baddies.

So let's get moving.

Notes to people who I couldn't contact are on the bottom, 'kay?

Disclaimer: Ukitake-taichou! Everyone's favorite disease-ridden, white-haired invalid.

Ukitake: O.O I'm not an invalid.

Me: No, not yet, but a couple more of those tuberculosis attacks could do you in, don't you think?  
Ukitake: Errr...I prefer not to think about what should happen if one of my attacks rendered me an invalid.

Me: Oh. Well, ignorance is bliss, isn't it?  
Ukitake: :(

Me: Aww. I made him sad. Here, disclaim my story and I'll let you go.

Ukitake: Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach. She is the sole owner of the plot and her OC's Yume Yamazaki and Skinner. -Cough, cough-

Me: Gah! Now back in bed before you really become an invalid.

Ukitake: -Leaves-

-Kimsa

* * *

Eighteen

Gone

Gin peered down into the teeming mass of Hollow and smirked viciously. He could hear the bloodthirsty gnashing of their fangs and claws even up this high, perched on a stone balcony, and understood their primal excitement.

Today was the day. Today was the day that Soul Society would fall.

"I guess it's safe ta say that Skinner's not comin' back, huh?"

Aizen, standing stiffly beside the silver-haired man, thinned his lips into a perfect line. "He would have been back by now, if he had succeeded in his attempt to capture Yamazaki. He must have failed."

Gin bobbed his pale head in agreement. "Sooo…we've lost the element of surprise, then? The shinigami must know we're comin'."  
Aizen remained just as stoic as ever on the outside, but Gin sensed a decline in his already-black mood. "Not exactly," the traitor replied.

Gin raised his eyebrows. "Nah?"

"No."

The only sounds for a moment were the rough growls and jeering of the Hollows below their position high on the balcony of one of Las Noches' towers.

"Weeeelll…?" Gin prompted. "What's our big surprise, then?"

Aizen turned to look at him, brown eyes cold and guarded. Gin met the other man's gaze steadily, reinforcing his wide smile as it threatened to fade. The Lord of Las Noches did not say anything for a pause; and then a smile so sly crossed his face that Gin's own smirk really did falter for a moment.

"Gin." He said the other man's name in what was almost an admonishing croon. "You of all people should know what our 'surprise' is."

Gin felt a flash of anger and fear spike through his veins, but he kept silent. Aizen couldn't suspect anything. Gin was certain he had done nothing to stir up the other man's suspicion; what would he suspect him of? Gin had never been anything but faithful.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway behind the balcony, effectively cutting off Gin's turmoil as two newcomers presented themselves. Tōsen and Ulquiorra stepped forward out of the shadows, each as expressionless as the other.

"Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra said, bending low in a rigid bow. "You summoned me?"

"Yes." Aizen faced the impassive Espada. "Skinner has not returned from his mission yet. I am putting you in charge of infiltrating Soul Society and exterminating Yamazaki. Gin will accompany you and unlock the gate into the Seireitei. Tōsen, you will command the troops."

Tōsen lowered his head in deference, as did Ulquiorra. Gin clapped his hands together in a show of excitement.

"I get to go to Soul Society again?" he exclaimed. "With Ulquiorra-kun?"

Aizen turned to him, his familiar, cold smile back in place. "Yes, Gin. I want you to help him kill Yamazaki for me. Think you can do that for me?"

Gin's smile was positively predatory. "Easy as pie!"

The other man nodded in approval. "Good. Then we will send the Hollow into Rukongai right away. Tōsen – I want you to accompany the Espada into Karakura. I will be along shortly. There is something I must take care of beforehand."

"I understand, Aizen-sama."

A low giggle bubbled up in Gin's throat as he walked forward to join Ulquiorra, who was preparing a garganta to Soul Society. "Let's see 'em fight the war on two fronts!"

He could feel Aizen's gaze on him, searching, prying, invading. His smile remained just as prominent it had a moment before, and Gin had to resist the urge to laugh again.

Soul Society wouldn't be the only one fighting a three-way war.

* * *

Byakuya was not an overly-emotional man. Some said he didn't have any feelings at all. They were superficial fools, but Byakuya understood their mistaken assumptions.

After all, it wasn't often that he allowed anything to crack his impassive mask.

Some higher power must have been trying their very hardest today, though, because he had just received word that Hollows had broken into the Seireitei.

And they had taken Yume with them.

He'd been finishing up the last of his paperwork when it happened. Renji had just sauntered in, complaining about how late they had to stay up, when there was a sudden shift in the spiritual pressure surrounding them. Byakuya recognized the foul, tainted reiatsu at once, and a millisecond later he'd pinpointed its location — near the twelfth division.

The contents of his stomach had turned to ice.

_Yamazaki._

He and Renji had swept out of the sixth division as quickly as they could. The fighting had just started when they arrived. Hollows swept over the ground, tearing into buildings and shinigami alike with equal fervor. The shouts of startled warriors filled the air, yelling out zanpakutou incantations and calls to arms.

The terrible, freezing feeling had not disappeared from Byakuya's stomach. Quickly, while Renji cursed and unsheathed his zanpakutou to block a charging Hollow, he sifted through the many conflicting spiritual signatures for one in particular.

He felt the Quincy's as he passed through them, as well as the Kurosaki brat's before he found the one he was looking for – and then he saw the Hollow, Skinner, burst through a building's wall, reach in, and pluck her up in its talons.

Senbonzakura was out and humming in his hand before coherent thought had been able to register. Byakuya had tensed, fully prepared to slice the Hollow to ribbons, when Skinner had balked away into a teeming mass of its brethren. Mayuri Kurotsuchi had appeared from the torn building a second later and was hurtling after the monster, overcoat flapping wildly behind him. The Quincy and his friends staggered out of the hole in the wall a moment after.

In the short space of less than ten seconds, Byakuya had lost track of Skinner, Yume, and the man he was sure he would like to hurt for losing the wayward girl.

And the worst part was, when he tried to pinpoint Yume's location again, not only hers, but also Mayuri's reiatsu had suddenly disappeared.

It was as if they had simply ceased to exist; where their signatures had been a moment before was nothing, a slippery glass wall that easily deflected his efforts to reach the people behind it.

He couldn't even find the Hollow's presence. Yume, Skinner, and Mayuri had simply disappeared off the face of Soul Society.

And now, listening along with the rest of the Seireitei to the announcements that Hollows had begun to infiltrate Rukongai, Byakuya was, for the first time in a while, having a hard time controlling his impervious mask.

Yes, the higher powers must certainly have been trying their hardest.

* * *

"War?"

Yamamoto leaned forward on his chair, his gaze piercing the messenger that stood before him. The old general's face shifted somberly as the nervous man nodded in confirmation.

"We've just received word from one of the outermost settlements, sir," the messenger said. "Hollows have begun to pour into Rukongai! They are everywhere, sir – there is no end to them!"

Yamamoto clenched his gnarled hands around his equally knotted staff and went quiet. The attack on the twelfth division had given him some warning, but it was still a shock to learn that the war had finally begun. He should have expected Aizen to divide his forces to take on Soul Society on two fronts. Rukongai was the most vulnerable of the entire spirit world, and to attack defenseless citizens – Yamamoto grit his teeth in restrained rage. Utterly barbaric and crafty, and completely like the traitorous ex-captain.

"I suppose I can expect him to attack Karakura, too," the commander-general scoffed. The messenger hesitated, unsure of whether or not he was required to answer, and Yamamoto lighted his gaze on the younger man again.

"Is that all?" he questioned. "Were you able to glean more information, on the presence of Espada or Arrancar, perhaps?"

The messenger looked sick and nodded his head. "They have many Arrancar with them, sir, but we have received no word of an Esp…Espada."

It was obvious that the man had no idea what an Espada was. Yamamoto felt the briefest flash of worry. Were his men so unprepared that they did not know of Aizen's elite? Of course, he was only assuming that Aizen would adopt the evolved Hollow into his ranks. But where such a power-hungry tyrant was concerned, one could only guess and know his answer to be right.

"Very well. Dismissed." Yamamoto rose from his throne-like chair and watched the man leave. Outside, he could hear his people running to arms, those who had not been waken by the infiltration of the Seireitei now startled to life by the invasion of Rukongai.

The old general sighed and raised one weathered hand to his face. For a moment, he stayed completely still, taking in the ruptured silence around him. The calm before the storm had come and passed, and now disaster's fury was well upon them. Yamamoto closed his eyes and allowed himself a brief moment of nonexistent calm. He did not know if he would still be alive to simply stand and breathe again by the time this war was over.

Summoning a deep reserve of strength welled within him, Yamamoto opened his eyes and strode forward on powerful legs. He had a world to protect.

* * *

"So what you're telling me is that you have no idea where he is, no way to communicate with him even though he's your _father_, and you don't know what the hell he wants with Yume."

Nemu stared impassively into Ichigo's somewhat disbelieving face, blinking her large eyes slowly. She shook her head.

Ichigo's forehead wrinkled in consternation. "But…you're his…!"

"Kurosaki."

Ichigo whirled around to face Uryu. The Quincy was sitting on the edge of the wooden porch attached to Yume's demolished room and had his back turned to them. He sat slumped forward, arms balanced on his legs, as if he did not have enough strength to sit straight.

"Why don't you just leave her alone?" Uryu asked coldly, still refusing to turn and address Ichigo directly. "It's been ten minutes already. Anyone else would have realized that she doesn't know anything."

He could almost see Ichigo's hair stand on end. "Hey, hey," the shinigami representative snapped, "at least I'm _doing_ something instead of just sitting there moping around! How's that gonna help Yamazaki, huh?"

Uryu wearily rubbed the heel of one hand over his eye and gave a long-suffering sigh. "If by engaging in a fruitless interrogation of Nemu you mean 'doing something,' then I don't see how you're helping Yamazaki-san either, Kurosaki."  
Rukia stepped in before Ichigo could reply with a jibe of his own. "Neither of you are helping Yamazaki-san, especially not by arguing! Listen, Nemu, are you absolutely sure you don't have any way of finding Kurotsuchi-taichou? Please try to understand that it's to help our friend. She, and your father, could be in very grave danger."

Uryu shifted minimally to look over his shoulder at Mayuri's daughter. The green-eyed girl hesitated for a moment and glanced over at him before lowering her gaze into her lap.

"I am sorry," she said softly. "I cannot help you."

"You can't help us or you won't help —?"

Uryu heaved a short, impatient sigh. "Kurosaki, why don't you just drop it? The twelfth division has just seen an attack in its heart and I assume that they'd like someone, probably their lieutenant, to act in their captain's stead."

He could almost see Ichigo's eyebrows rising. "Oh, yeah? Since when did you care about the shinigami?"

Uryu didn't reply. Chad stepped up to speak in his stead. "He's right, Ichigo. With their captain missing, these people need someone to lead them."

"Fine, fine. Nemu, you can go. But if I find that you're plotting to do something weird to Yamazaki with that freakish dad of yours —"

"Ichigo."

"Alright! Just leave her alone, ya hear? The minute we get her back, she's coming with us. Kurotsuchi can forget about being her supervisor or whatever he claimed he was. Got it?"

Nemu made a noise of assent and left them. Uryu listened until the faint click of her heels faded away into the hum of shinigami working to repair the damage done to their division.

"So." Ichigo came over and plopped himself down beside Uryu, making the bespectacled boy grimace unpleasantly. "You still can't detect Yamazaki's spirit signature or whatever it was you were looking for?"

Uryu shook his head, staring listlessly out in the dark horizon. The shadow of night was just beginning to recede, leaving a pale pink tint in the lightening sky. He could feel the weight of his exhaustion leaning down on him like bricks on his shoulders. He was more than tired, past being discouraged, and had become fed up with the progressively desolate turn of events a long time ago.

The Quincy sensed more than heard Orihime come up behind him, her presence a soothing relief to his worried soul. She settled herself by his side, tucking her long legs beneath the porch.

"You'll find her, Ishida-kun. You're…well, you're Ishida-kun! The pride of the Quincy won't let you give up, right?"

To Uryu's right, Ichigo snorted. "It's his damned pride that makes him act like he's got a stick up his —"

"As crude as ever, I see, Kurosaki," Uryu snapped.

"Was that supposed to be an insult?"

Uryu bristled, his frayed nerves snapping with a hiss of indignant anger, but Orihime cut him off before he could reply. "Kurosaki-kun, please don't say things like that! Ishida-kun didn't do anything to you. And I…I'm tired of hearing you fight. We're…at war. Can't you please, just _please_, stop fighting until it's over?"

They all stared at her as if she had suddenly gone rabid and tried to bite Uryu and Ichigo's heads off. A dark blush passed over her smooth face and she ducked her head in apology. "Ah! That is to say…you can go back fighting _after_ the war's over. I'm not trying to tell you that you can't fight anymore, it's just…err…"

Ichigo let out a short bark of a laugh and shook his head. "Hey, don't worry about it, Inoue. We were acting like kids."

Uryu nodded somberly, his eyes darkening in regret. "We didn't mean to make you upset, Inoue-san."

She nodded and bit her lip. Ichigo rolled his shoulders and got to his feet. "Well, we're not getting anything done just sitting here. I can think of at least three things I should probably be doing right now. Rukia, Chad — I think Ukitake's still waiting for us back in the thirteenth, though he's probably heard of the attack by now. Ishida, Inoue, you coming?"

"In a minute," Uryu replied. "I'm going to stay here and see if I can find anything that will help us find Yamazaki-san."

"Good idea. Inoue, are you…?"  
Orihime lifted her head and blinked at him. "No, actually, I think I'll stay and help Ishida-kun if that's alright with you."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly, his gaze flickering between the pair. "Alright. If you find anythin' interesting, don't show it to anyone before you let us know. Who knows what those windbag officials will do with any useful evidence?"

"Ichigo!" Rukia elbowed the orange-haired boy in the side and scowled up at him. "Don't be disrespectful. Those 'windbags' have ways of hearing things you wouldn't believe."

Uryu waited until they were gone before closing his eyes and breathing another sigh. Orihime turned her full attention to him at the sound and tilted her head in concern.

"Are you okay, Ishida-kun? You're not hurt and just trying to cover it up so we don't worry, are you?"

He let out a wry little laugh and shook his head. "No, Inoue-san. I'm not hurt. Just…tired. And a little disappointed."

It was amazing how well she knew him. She picked up on the underlying meaning almost immediately and touched his shoulder in consolation. "It's not your fault that you can't find her. Someone must have put a block or something to keep anyone from discovering Yamazaki-san. I mean…how else would she just disappear like that?"  
Uryu tiredly ran a hand over his face. "That's what worries me. If Skinner took her, then she's probably with Aizen by now. He's too smart to let us track her down with spirit energy. This is all his doing, I just know it. As it is, I'm still surprised he hasn't staged a full-out attack on the entire Seireitei by now."

Orihime went very quiet at his side and withdrew her hand. Her fingers pushed and pulled at each other in a show of worry. "I don't want to be in a war," she said softly. "I don't want to see Aizen again. I just…I just got back."

Uryu removed his hand from his face and stared at her, studying the familiar contours of her visage for emotion. He saw misery and worry and a vague look of regret, but he could also see her fear, and all in one glance. Uryu had become very good at reading Orihime's emotions.

He leaned over and squeezed her shoulder gently. She shivered under his touch and curled in on herself, and he retreated.

"I'm not going to let them take you, Inoue-san," he stated calmly. "I'm not even going to let them lay a single finger on you."

Orihime looked up and stared into his gaze with wide, glistening grey eyes. She swallowed dryly, searching his face for he did not know what, and seemed to come to a conclusion. Her delicate fingers closing into small, shaking fists, she drew a shuddering breath. She looked almost…afraid.

"Ishida-kun," she said uncertainly. She lowered her gaze to stare somewhere around his collarbone. He wondered briefly if she could see the rapid pulsing of his heart.

"I…I just…" She swallowed again and closed her eyes with a tiny sigh. "I know you won't."

Uryu felt some of the tense lines in his face smoothen out and nodded slowly, staring down at the top of her ginger-haired head. He had been so sure that in that moment she'd realized how he felt for her that for one, brief second, his trampled spirits had soared. And then she had retreated in on herself, as she did so often these days.

He had grown so distant that he barely noticed when one of her fists unclenched and moved forward. The feather-soft touch of her fingertips registered in his mind and he blinked at her in surprise. She was not looking at him. Her hand had strayed over to his and now she was touching him, hesitantly, tentatively, almost as if she was unsure of herself. He waited with baited breath, watching in a trance as she entwined her small fingers with his.

Uryu had never considered his hands to be very big or strong, but he realized with a shock that his fingers were very, very long compared to hers. Her fingers were exactly how he imagined them to be: supple, gentle, soft, like peach silk beneath his touch.

She was biting her lip and still wouldn't look at him. On a sudden impulse, Uryu reached up with his free hand and touched her chin, tilting it up just enough so that she would look him in the eye. Orihime stared up at him with an unreadable expression, her emotions clashing and molding on her face until he could not make sense of them at all. Vaguely, he wondered if the emotions on his face were as chaotic as hers.

"Inoue-san," he said quietly, and saw her shiver at his tone. Her free hand rose and touched the one he held her chin with, her eyes wide and trusting and filled with tears of just what he couldn't decide, but it was enough for him.

He had just started to lean in when the sirens began.

They jumped, hearts freezing as one in fear and dread, and they leapt to their feet.

"No," Orihime pleaded in a hopeless whisper. "No, not now, please not so soon!"

_"All shinigami are to gather into their assigned units. Repeat, all shinigami are to gather into their assigned units! This is not a drill." _The deep voice bellowed into the air from all directions, shouting out the words Uryu had known were inevitable. _"We have received word that Aizen has launched an attack on Rukongai!"_

Orihime's hands flew up to her mouth as she gasped. Uryu felt his heart clench in horror.

The Winter War had finally arrived.

_"All units are to mobilize immediately! Repeat, all units mobilize immediately! The primary goal is to evacuate as many citizen souls as possible and stop the Hollows from penetrating the Seireitei. All units mobilize!"_

"We need to go!" Uryu said. Orihime stared at him, her hands still covering her mouth. She shook her head frantically.

"I'm not ready," she whispered into her palms.

The shinigami of the twelfth division were darting around in organized groups, their faces masks of determination and well-concealed fear. They knew their stations. They had been preparing for this ever since Aizen ascended to Hueco Mundo.

Uryu closed his eyes and took a deep, sharp breath. He could no longer afford to show weariness. Everyone was banding together to fight in this one, climactic effort. Even if he had once been unsure of his place in the war, he now understood that he was already at the point of no turning back. Plus, these people needed his help. Although he still considered them to be the murderers of his people, he could not simply stand by and watch while they were massacred. It would not be kind to his Quincy pride.

"Inoue-san," he said, trying to catch her attention. "We have to go. We can't stay here, it's too close to the edge of the Seireitei. Please. Inoue-san. Look at me."

She swallowed convulsively and raised her eyes to his. Gently, he moved her hands from her mouth.

"Alright," she said hoarsely. She licked her lips and nodded, a determined glint entering her wide eyes. "Alright, Ishida-kun. You're right. Okay. I'm okay."

He gave her a small smile of encouragement. "Listen, Inoue-san. There's going to be some serious fighting. What do you think will happen to people? Where do they need us, Inoue-san?"

Orihime gave a great shuddering breath and lifted her head. The frightened haze in her eyes cleared away, leaving them bright and clear. "The fourth division," she replied.

"Right. Let's go, Inoue-san."

His hand still firmly entwined in hers, Uryu gathered spirit particles around their feet and used _hirenkyaku_ to whisk them away.

* * *

By the time they reached the fourth division, the Seireitei was the definition of organized chaos. Uryu and Orihime had just touched down when they were surrounded by shinigami hurrying about their positions.

Unohana stood as a lone symbol of peace and composure amidst the push and swell of souls, her face a perfect picture of serenity. Uryu quickly made his way towards her.

"Unohana-taichou!" She turned to see him and offered him a small smile.

"Ishida-san, Inoue-san. I'm glad you came back."

"We decided this is where we'd be able to help the most," Orihime said. "What can we do to help?"

Unohana started to reply and was interrupted by a member of her division. She turned and answered the harried soul's questions with crisp, calm answers, and sent her on her way.

"Inoue-san, I need you to preserve your strength," she said smoothly. "We will need your abilities when the first wave of the injured comes in. In the mean time, Ishida-san…"

"Ishida!"

He recognized Ichigo's voice immediately and turned to see him hurrying towards him through the current of shinigami healers. The Quincy was surprised to find that Ichigo had Chad with him but not Rukia.

"Where is Kuchiki-san?" he asked.

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders minimally. "She had to report to the thirteenth. We came over here when we couldn't find you back at the twelfth."

"So this is it?" Chad asked quietly.

Uryu set his face in a grim frown and nodded. "I'm afraid so. Inoue-san and I are going to be helping here, so I don't know where you'd rather be – there's going to be a lot of injured people very soon."

"I hope you're not squeamish, Kurosaki-san," Unohana said warningly before being distracted and drawn away by a panicking healer.

Ichigo scowled. "Nah. I'm not squeamish but I'd rather be somewhere where I can help get those people away from those Hollows."

"Rukongai?" Orihime repeated fearfully. "Kurosaki-kun, that's really dangerous…"

"We're at war, Inoue. Everywhere I go I'll be in danger."

"Well, you can't just go alone," Chad pointed out. "The Hollows —"

He never got to finish his sentence. At that moment a sudden burst of spirit energy nearly shocked them all to their knees. A wave of freezing cold washed over Uryu's head as there was a quick flash of color in his mind's eye — a blue-eyed girl, reaching out to him with eyes wide and mouth open in a silent plea for help — and then it was over, and he was left staring openmouthed at his companions. Around them, pushing them to the sides and corners of the room, the shinigami of the fourth division continued on as if nothing strange had happened.

"Did…did you feel that?" Uryu asked quietly.

Ichigo and Chad nodded, and Orihime replied affirmatively in an awed, hushed voice.

"Yamazaki-chan," she said.

"Quick, Ishida, where'd that reiatsu come from?" Ichigo asked.

Uryu frowned and concentrated hard, trying to trace the fading reiatsu signature back to its source. It was dissolving quickly, but he managed to pinpoint its origin before it faded completely. His eyes widened in stunned realization.

"Kurosaki," he said, "I think you might get to fight in Rukongai after all."

"Rukongai?" Ichigo repeated. "God, Ishida. You don't mean…"

"That's exactly what I mean. I found Yamazaki-san. She's in Rukongai."

Ichigo clenched his hands tightly and grit his teeth in frustration. "Right in the middle of a freaking warzone."

_To be continued…_

* * *

A/N: Review?

Notes:

A note to _Memmi _– I know, this is all kind of Byakuya's fault, isn't it…? :) Oh dear. What are we going to do with you, Bya-kun?

A note to _Revilis_ – umm…thank you! I'm glad the title is what got you hooked. To tell the truth, I had trouble coming up with it. X) But you didn't know that.

SYNKATID: (ain't that catchy?)

-Zazie and Setsuna didn't exist until briefly after the current Yume was designed.

_Next time: Ulquiorra is sent to assassinate Yume, but Gin has plans of his own. An insane rescue motion is put into play. And Orihime could not be unhappier._


	19. Nineteen: Into the Maw

A/N: A nice, early, and incredibly long update for my dear readers. Thanks to you who reviewed! Glad to see you're still here.

As for the events in this chapter, welllll, they're a bit jumbled time-wise. This first scene happened directly after Yume was kidnapped. The next one picks up from where we left off last chapter, and then the one with Gin and Ulquiorra takes place while the second scene is going on. Confusing? I'll explain at the end if you still don't get it.

Disclaimer: Ulquiorra! Since we'll be seeing him in this chapter for a bit.

Ulquiorra: Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach. She is the sole owner of Yume, Setsuna, and Zazie Yamazaki, as well as her Hollow Skinner 12-D.

Me: I own a lot of people, yeah?

Ulquiorra: Yes. It is a shame they belong to such trash.

Me: ...I could do an Orihime on you, but I'd like to keep my head.

Ulquiorra: Smart trash.

Me: ...

* * *

Nineteen

Into the Maw

_**"She's in the middle of a freaking war zone."**_

Claws tight around her middle.

_Ow. Squishing me. Let me go._

Talons digging into her flesh and skin.

_That hurts. I don't like blood! Let me go!_

Exhausted muscles crying out in agony.

_Kurotsuchi-kun's fault._

Limbs flailing limply, head snapping back and forth, body loose and lifeless like a marionette with its strings severed by a hateful hand.

_Ow. Ow. So tired…let me go. Let me go._

"Let me —"

Letting out a disgusted snort, Skinner released his hold on Yume and let her fly from his grasp. She tumbled through the air and hit the ground so hard that all the breath flew from her body. A sharp cry sounded from her throat as every single nerve in her body seemed to snap and go limp, and Yume lay face-down in the dirt, trembling.

"Pathetic," Skinner snarled. "Utterly, completely _pathetic_."

"'M not paffetic," Yume muttered, her weak voice muffled by the dirt. Skinner bared his fangs and reached over. He grasped her black hair in one hand and yanked the upper half of her body off the ground, viciously ignoring her whimper of pain.

"What's that, little bug?" he taunted in a hissing voice. "I couldn't understand you."

Yume spat out a clod of dirt and Skinner let her fall back to the ground with a grunt of satisfaction. The blue-eyed girl turned her face so that her cheek rested against the coarse dirt and wrinkled her nose.

_Ew. Dirt doesn't taste as chocolaty as I thought it might._

She heard Skinner moving around behind her but could not bring herself to turn her head. Blinking back tears of fear, Yume scanned as much of her surroundings as she could. It looked like she was somewhere in the middle of a forest with all the tree trunks she could see in the night shadows. The pale moonlight filtered through the leaves and lit up the world around her in a sort of half-light, but that was all she could tell about her location. She had no idea how long Skinner had been carrying her or how far he'd run. There was no hint on the wind of shouting, so they must have been a long ways away from the twelfth division.

Skinner moved behind her, and she heard an odd sniffing noise. Unable to deter her interest, she turned her aching neck until she could see him. The towering Hollow had his face tilted up towards the sky like a wolf howling at the moon, but she could see his concentration. He was…smelling around for something. She had no idea what.

He noticed her watching and let out a low growl. The ground shook beneath her as he stalked forward on heavy talons.

"Where is your zanpakutou?"

Yume frowned up at him in confusion. "One of my friends took it. I don't have it," she murmured.

Skinner's white and crimson mask contorted in an expression of twisted fury. "Which friend?" he demanded. When she didn't answer immediately, he slammed one clawed fist into the ground beside her head. "Who took it? Answer me!"

"I did."

Both Yume and Skinner were taken by surprise. The hulking Hollow straightened and moved out of Yume's vision, enabling her to stare past him at the speaker.

It was Mayuri Kurotsuchi. The masked captain stood several feet away, dangling Yume's ivory-hilted zanpakutou from his bony white fingers. Skinner let out an animalistic hiss and flexed his claws.

"And you are?" he prompted.

"Mayuri Kurotsuchi," Mayuri answered coolly. He twirled Yume's zanpakutou lightly in his grasp and tilted his head to the side, studying the Hollow with an interested eye. "Captain of the twelfth division of the Seireitei. And that girl's owner."

_How dare he! _Setsuna spoke up for the first time since Yume had been taken, and Yume herself winced at Mayuri's possessive words.

"I am not a pet," she told him pointedly. Mayuri's gaze flickered to her, but he ultimately ignored her and did not respond.

"You have something I want," he said to Skinner. "I have something you want. I'm sure we can come up to some kind of agreement."

"All I want from you is that sword," Skinner snapped. "But whether you give it to me or not, you can't have the girl."

"Oh?" Mayuri widened his eyes in curiosity. "Why do you want her so badly, then? Eh? On whose orders are you acting?"  
Skinner narrowed his eyes and hunched his skeletal shoulders. "Who says I'm not acting on my own orders?"  
_Now would be a perfect time to slip away, _Setsuna suggested blandly. Yume blinked and experimentally shifted, trying unsuccessfully to creep away on her elbows. Skinner did not make any movement to show that he'd noticed, but Yume saw Mayuri's eyes flicker to her briefly before returning to the Hollow with his back to her.

Mayuri nodded curtly at Skinner. "So you won't tell me. I'm guessing…Aizen. Of course, who else would it be? You want both Yamazaki and her zanpakutou, but I'm not sure you'll be able to bring them both back with you."

"Are you saying that you won't give me that zanpakutou?" Skinner asked quietly. Yume scooted further away from the two conflicting souls.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," Mayuri replied, just as coldly. "But I would like to have the girl more than the zanpakutou. Provided she doesn't run away from us right behind your back."

Yume froze where she was and scrambled to her feet as Skinner whirled around, his long fangs bared in anger.

"Yamazaki!" he roared, and lunged for her.

She let out a shriek and hurled herself to the side. Skinner's talons scraped the air so close that he tore a couple hairs from her head. Yume stumbled, hit the ground and darted to her knees. She looked up and Skinner's claws filled her vision.

The Hollow suddenly jerked to the side with a howl of pain, clutching spastically at a ragged gash in his arm. Yume stared up in shock at the dark blood pouring over Skinner's colorless skin. She felt someone clamp her upper arm in a suffocating grip and was yanked to her feet. Mayuri drew her close to his side, away from Skinner, but did not release her. In the captain's other hand, Ashisogi dripped slick blood onto the ground.

"You know, I don't take kindly to people who try to steal my test subjects. It irritates me to no end. Either you find your own pet, or I take your head and examine just what exactly is in a Hollow's skull."

Mayuri's eyes glittered with sudden bright inspiration, the glee of a promising experiment right at his hand, and Skinner stared back at him with hate in his black eyes.

"You made a mistake, shinigami," he snarled. "You've no idea what I'm capable of."

"Is that a threat?" Mayuri queried excitedly.

"I am not leaving without the insect." Skinner motioned sharply at Yume, who bit her lip and tried unsuccessfully to tug her arm from Mayuri's grasp.

"Ha. Have it your way, then."

Yume found herself thrust back onto the ground and watched as Mayuri tucked her zanpakutou into his sash. Skinner advanced with ready claws, and Ashisogi hissed hungrily as it was raised in Mayuri's hand.

_Get up! _Setsuna ordered. _Run, Yume, run!_

Yume had just leapt back to her feet when a slithering presence entered the air and wrapped itself around her. She stiffened, eyes going wide with horror as snakes wound themselves tight around her neck. The air was slick and slimy against her skin. She couldn't breathe.

_No, _Zazie gasped. _Run. Run!_

"Ah, what seems ta be the trouble here?"

Mayuri and Skinner stopped their threatening advances and turned as one to look into the shadows behind Yume. Yume remained as still as she had been a moment ago. She would not move. She could not move.

"Tsk. Whatcha doin', Kurotsuchi-kun? Fightin' with ol' Skinner? Aha. How disappointing."

The voice was right behind her, so close that she could feel its owner's breath. Yume was aware that she was not breathing. The world started to spin dizzily around her and her chest began to burn.

_Don't turn around, _some primal instinct warned her. _Whatever you do, don't turn around._

Long, spidery fingers smoothed a lock of her hair behind her ear and moved down to rest on one of her shoulders. Yume heard herself suck in a breath and air moved back into her starved lungs.

"What do we have here?" The man asked curiously. "A little fugitive phoenix, maybe? Eh?"

Yume swallowed dryly. Mayuri and Skinner were both still staring at the man behind her with unreadable expressions on their pale faces.

"What's wrong, kiddo?" The man squeezed her shoulder lightly and let out a low giggle. "Yer not turning around. I'm not that scary, am I?"

_Yume, no, _Zazie murmured.

She could not bear to have her back to him anymore. His mere presence set her on edge and sent goose bumps rising along her arms. Having him right behind her, where he could be preparing to do anything, was even worse. She needed to see her enemy.

Yume turned her head minimally. Her vision was filled with a narrow, smiling face and slit-like eyes. The man's short silver hair gleamed ethereally in the cold moonlight, giving him an otherworldly glow. Her first conscious thought was that he was an angel of death, and she was going to die. Then the angel spoke, and she knew he was no such thing.

"Hey there," Gin Ichimaru said cheerfully. "Yume Yamazaki."

* * *

"This is possibly the most insane rescue mission we've ever been on." Uryu stared dourly up at the gargantuan walls of the Seireitei. He could not hear the conflict breeding outside in the streets of Rukongai, but he could only hope it was because the fighting had not progressed from the furthest reaches of the gigantic city. If the Hollows reached the Seireitei…well, Uryu had no doubt that the shinigami of the Gotei 13 would be able to hold them off, but the question was how long they could outlast the hordes. Aizen might have hundreds, probably even thousands more at his disposal.

"No," Ichigo disagreed, watching as hundreds of shinigami rushed past towards the opening in the Seireitei's gate, "I don't think so. Charging into Hueco Mundo wasn't such a safe idea, and come to think of it, neither was coming here to save Rukia. Every time we need to rescue someone, it seems we're always surrounded by our enemies."

Chad nodded grimly in agreement. Out of a habit he couldn't quite shake, Uryu looked back for Orihime's response before remembering that she had stayed back at the fourth division. She had not been happy.

_"I still think I should come," Orihime insisted as they made their way out of the chaotic fourth-division building. "What if one of you gets hurt? What if you need me to make a shield or reject something? I can help, I know I can, and I won't get in your way, really…"_

_"Inoue, it's great that you want to help us," Ichigo said, "and you're probably right. If we ever needed your help, it's in a situation like that. But this isn't just about us. We're in a war. There's going to be tons more people who need your help, and to be honest, I think we can hold our own. Unohana-taichou needs you, you know? Plus, it's too dangerous."_

_"Dangerous!" Orihime repeated. "But Kurosaki-kun, I've been in worse situations —"_

_"And nearly got killed in every one of 'em. Face it, Inoue. You don't hold up well in chaotic situations."_

_"We just don't want to see you get hurt," Chad added when Orihime looked hurt. Her soft face flushed in disappointment, and in a last ditch effort to gain some support, turned pleading eyes onto Uryu._

He nearly winced at the sour guilt he felt at the fresh memory. She'd been looking to him to back her up, and he'd had to turn her down. Unohana-taichou needed her, he'd said. She'd be safer in the fourth division and he didn't want to see her get hurt. No, he didn't think she was weak. Yes, he promised he would come back safe and sound.

_Her tender hands were wringing her thin wrists again, and he gently reached out and loosened her grip. She let him without resistance._

_"Yes, but…what if you don't make it back in time? What if they have to close the gate before you can come back, and…you…"_

_A chill went through his body at the thought of being locked out of the Seireitei in a hollow-infested war zone. He shook the feeling from his nerves. Dwelling on the potential deadly mistakes that could happen in their rescue mission would do nothing to strengthen his resolve._

_"Believe me, Inoue-san, I don't want to be locked out there any more than you want me to be. We'll all try as hard as we can to save Yamazaki-san and get back before they close the gates."_

_Her hands tightened into fists and she wrapped her arms around her slender frame, blocking off a nonexistent wind. "Promise?"_

_He didn't think it was possible for someone's voice to sound that tiny. Giving her a reassuring smile, he nodded._

_"I promise, Inoue-san."_

Uryu was suddenly aware of his friends' curious stares and lifted his chin, face flushing with heat once he realized that he'd completely zoned out.

"You all right, Ishida?" Ichigo asked.

Uryu nodded shortly. "I was just trying to secure Yamazaki-san's location in my memory before we leave."

"Hey, don't go forgetting it right in the middle of Rukongai."

His comment earned the substitute-shinigami a withering glare. "I'm not in danger of forgetting such an important thing, Kurosaki."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Ichigo eyed the groups of shinigami pelting past them for the Seireitei's gate and sighed, his hand trailing toward his zanpakutou's hilt. "Right. Let's go get Yamazaki, then."

They joined the swell and slipped through past Jindabo.

* * *

"Ishida! I thought you said you wouldn't forget where Yamazaki was!"

Uryu took aim and fired several arrows straight through a Hollow's skull as it lunged for him. He shot Ichigo, who was busy grappling with a lower-power Arrancar, an impatient glare and speared the creature in its neck. The thing let out a gurgling howl that was cut short by Zangetsu's bite.

"I did not forget, Kurosaki," Uryu snapped. "It's just…confusing."

And how could chaos not be confounding? They fought in the middle of a heavy populated town somewhere past the gates. It was difficult to keep a firm grasp on Yamazaki's location, but she was thankfully staying in one general area. That area, however, was still some ways away.

They had let themselves get distracted by the fight. Uryu hated to let innocent people come to harm, but he knew that they barely had twenty minutes, maybe not even that, before the Seireitei's gates were closed. There really was no time for this.

"Well, get focused!" Ichigo retorted. "How much time do we have?"

Chad knocked a charging Hollow away from him with his armored fist. "Seventeen minutes."

"Seventeen…! Alright, Ishida, do your stuff."

Re-finding Yume's vanished reiatsu was harder than he thought it would be. Uryu struggled to balance searching for her and warding off Hollows before he finally pinpointed her location.

"I have it!"

"Let's go, let's go!" Ichigo and Chad followed right on Uryu's heel as he shot over the rooftops, heading for the direction he believed Yume was in. Her left-over flash of reiatsu was fading fast, and he quickened his pace, dreading what would happen if he lost her signal. Ichigo and Chad were soon left far behind him.

"Ishida! Slow down!"

He didn't. They would have to travel faster than this if they wanted to arrive in time to save Yume and get back before they resealed the Seireitei's walls —

"Oy, watch —"

Ichigo barely had time to cry out a warning before a burst of energy from a shinigami's blade slammed into the building Uryu had been standing on. The blast took out the building's structure and Uryu gasped as the roof suddenly collapsed beneath him.

"Ishida!" He heard someone call his name again.

Uryu twisted in mid-air and found his balance, preparing to land on his feet. Something, maybe a falling brick or broken piece of mortar, nicked his leg hard enough to send him tumbling. He hit the ground with a thud, rolled, and instinctively covered his head as debris fell around him.

Dust had just stopped falling around him when Uryu heard the bone-chilling roar of a Hollow directly in front of him. He looked up and met its leering gaze. Its claws were already heading right for his face.

Uryu ducked and rolled away, his bow out and singing in his hand, but there was a clash of metal against talons and the Hollow's blow never reached him. Blinking his eyes and trying to clear the tears brought by the dust, he paused in confusion.

Byakuya was standing between him and the Hollow, Senbonzakura out and holding back the monster's claws. The black-haired captain had his stern gaze locked onto Uryu, and he did not even look away as he flicked his sword and cut the Hollow in two.

Ichigo and Chad came running up at that moment, the former with his mouth hanging wide open.

"Byakuya!" He exclaimed. "You…what're you doing here?"

Byakuya ignored him and offered Uryu a hand. Giving him a doubtful frown, Uryu reached up and accepted. The sixth division captain pulled him to his feet, still not breaking their gaze.

"You know where Yamazaki is?" he asked quietly.

Uryu nodded slowly. "I do," he said hoarsely, voice still rough from swallowing coarse dust.

Byakuya sheathed his sword. "Take me to her."

* * *

He appeared right in the midst of hell. Hollows scalped the land of anything that moved, catching men, women, and children souls alike on their talons. Some they killed quickly. Some not. Those who were unlucky enough to enrage a hollow were given the "special treatment."

Shinigami were flooding into the area, their zanpakutous out and gleaming silver and black in the hot sun. The crimson blood of hollows and death gods alike splattered the debris-covered ground and the screams of citizen souls were ever-present in the tainted air. Smoke rose somewhere in the distance, clouding the rising sun as it lifted into the sky.

The outer reaches of Rukongai were a breeding ground for agony and despair. Gin and Ulquiorra had appeared right in the midst of it.

"Hmm," Gin hummed as he impassively watched a helpless woman soul fled past, a hulking hollow bearing down on her. "This seems to be goin' well for us, wouldn't ya say?"

Ulquiorra turned his severe expression onto the silver-haired man. "Where is Yamazaki? I don't see her."

Gin flippantly waved a hand at the cold Espada and giggled when a shinigami went flying, in several pieces, right past them. "Oh, she's here alright. Not _here_ here, but she's close."

A frown turned Ulquiorra's usually stern appearance even harsher. "Our orders were to find her, dispatch her, and return to Hueco Mundo without delay —"

"Which we'll do as soon as I…err…find her."

Ulquiorra's eyes flashed with irritation. "You do not know where she is?"  
Gin scratched the back of his head sheepishly and scooted out of the way as a hollow collapsed where he'd been standing. "Well, not really. Someone's blockin' her signal. I can find her, don'tcha worry. It'll just take me a minute."

"At least obtain a more specific idea so we are not standing in the middle of a battle."

Gin raised his eyebrows and observed the chaos around him as if seeing it for the first time. "Huh. This is a messy place, isn't it?"

Ulquiorra's cold stare provided enough answer.

"Alright, alright!" Gin tilted his head, sifting carefully for a familiar reiatsu, and smirked when he found it. It helped when the one blocking Yume's spiritual signature was you. "Got it. See, that didn't take too long, did it?"

"You are wasting our time," Ulquiorra said. "Aizen-sama will not be pleased."

Gin pursed his lips and nodded. "Nah, I guess not. Follow me, then. We're gonna go down. Aaaaall the way down."

Ulquiorra frowned at him uncomprehendingly, and Gin twitched his mouth in exasperation. He pointed one long finger at the ground beneath them.

"'S down there."

For a brief moment, the thundering of roars, yells, and screams rushed in to fill the gap present by Ulquiorra's silence. The Espada lifted his raven-haired head from staring where Gin was pointing and gave the ex-captain an unreadable look.

"Yamazaki is beneath the ground," he repeated slowly. Gin nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm gonna go first," he said. "Think you can follow my trail?"

"Of course —"

"Good."

Ulquiorra's problem, Gin decided as he shun-po'ed beneath the ground's surface and felt the Espada coming after him, was that he was too obedient. Anyone else might have questioned the wisdom of accompanying a man who'd already betrayed hundreds of people for power deep beneath the ground where no one could hear them, but did Ulquiorra hesitate? No. Gin could feel him plunging in beneath the surface, right on his tail as he flash-stepped into Mayuri's "secret" underground labs. He was just like Tōsen, following orders, not caring who he hurt in the process, even if it was himself. Tōsen might have cared once, but that time was long gone, cleared away by months of mind-wiping under _Aizen-sama's_ divine guidance. Of course, Gin would never fall for something so naïve. The minute he had Aizen's neck within grabbing distance, he'd reach out and snap it. Simple as that.

He'd been waiting for that opportunity to present itself for a long, long time, and if he had to make do with breaking Aizen's right arm by killing his pet Espada, well then, he could live with that.

Mayuri's lab was more secure and hidden than a fortress. There were so many spells and booby-traps that Gin had to wave aside that if he had been infiltrating without Mayuri's consent, he would have at least thought twice before just going right in. The twelfth division captain had disabled them long enough to let Gin and Ulquiorra in, though, so Gin appeared right in the middle of a dark, empty room. Ulquiorra arrived not a second later.

"Here?" he inquired tonelessly, taking in the square-shaped area.

"Yep." Gin sniffed and winced as his nose encountered a rather unpleasant smell. "Ugh. Dunno what's down here, but whatever it is, it doesn't smell good."

Ulquiorra moved forward, towards a stone hallway that led into the depths of the earth. They were down so deep Gin could not even fear any of the noises from the battle high above their heads.

"Why is Yamazaki down here?"

Ulquiorra's unexpected question caught Gin by surprise. He moved past the immobile Espada into the tunnel-like hallway.

"How'm I supposed to know?" he quipped. Ulquiorra's muted footsteps sounded behind him, and Gin suppressed a pleased grin.

"Why? You're not scared, are ya, Ulquiorra-kun?"

"No."

They followed the tunnel through its twists and turns, and for the surprising amount that it contained, the unlikely duo had not walked far before the sounds of speech began to register. Gin crept forward, Ulquiorra at his back, as the hallway stretched out into a huge room. The silver-haired man bit back a whine of distaste. This was where the horrible smell was coming from.

It seemed Mayuri-kun had a problem with keeping things clean and tidy around his work place. The room was covered in shelves and shelves holding jars of unidentifiable matter. One of the walls sported hooks from which gruesome-looking tools, some as long as Gin's forearm, hung. Something dripped onto Gin's sleeve and he looked up. More than twenty bodies hung from the ceiling, in various states of decay. Some were perfectly preserved and still breathing. He met a victim's crazed gaze and waved cheerfully.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the mad scientist himself, had been busy eviscerating Szayel's unresponsive form on a metal surgical table when they came in. He widened his eyes at them and withdrew his scalpel immediately.

Ulquiorra met the captain's gaze with an emptiness in his eyes that Gin found absolutely chilling, in an amusing sort of way.

"Where is Yume Yamazaki?" he asked bluntly. Mayuri sneered and dropped his scalpel onto the table beside Szayel.

"You're one of Aizen's little soldier-men, aren't you? Like this one?" He motioned with blood-covered hands to Szayel's inert body. "I presume Aizen sent you to collect Yamazaki, just like he did that Skinner fellow?"

Ulquiorra, to Mayuri's fierce indignation, ignored him and returned his attention to Gin. "Where is Yamazaki?"

Gin held up his hands. "I dunno. All I can tell is that she's here, somewhere…"

The Espada turned his terrifying glare onto Mayuri, who was now reaching for his zanpakutou. "I am going to ask one more time, shinigami," Ulquiorra said. "I expect a truthful reply."

"Ooh," Gin said, nearly bouncing on his heels in excitement. "If he doesn't cooperate, can I do the dirty work? I never liked this guy."

Mayuri and Ulquiorra alike acted as if he had never spoken. "You want the girl, Espada?" Mayuri asked tauntingly. "I'll tell you the same thing I told the other Hollow Aizen sent. You can't have her."

"Fine."

Sometimes, Gin forgot just how quickly Ulquiorra could move. It was only a matter of luck that Mayuri saw the attack coming and managed to leap out of the way before Ulquiorra appeared where he'd been standing a moment before and came after him. Gin watched from across the room, his perfunctory grin tinged with genuine amusement.

Ulquiorra could not perform a full-powered cero so deep beneath the ground's surface without fear of a cave-in, but he could conjure small bursts of destructive energy that came very close to hitting Mayuri. The twelfth division captain was doing all in his power to dodge the deadly blasts, but even so one managed to clip him. He staggered and fell off balance. Ulquiorra moved in for the kill.

He was just bearing down on Mayuri when Gin's zanpakutou entered his chest and speared him clean through.

The emotionless Espada froze in complete and utter shock, his emerald eyes going wider than Gin had ever seen them. Mayuri's face, overtaken by stark fear a moment earlier, contorted in an expression of smugness.

"You weren't expecting that, were you?" he sneered. Ulquiorra made no reply.

Gin retracted Shinsō and strode forward. Ulquiorra looked at him, alertness flickering in his eyes, and reached a hand for the sword at his waist. Gin took aim at the Espada's abdomen and struck sideways. Ulquiorra's body, severed halfway through, toppled to the floor at his feet.

"Well," Gin said lightly, wiping Shinsō clean on the Espada's corpse, "that aught ta keep him down."

Mayuri rolled his eyes and surveyed the damage done to his laboratory with a mournful frown. "You couldn't have killed him sooner?" he whined.

"He was movin' around too fast and before he started chasin' after ya, I was in danger of being blocked. He's a fast little sucker, ya know. Or he was."

Mayuri _tsked_ and got to his feet, stepping almost delicately over the blood pooling from Ulquiorra's body. "You've dirtied my work area," he said.

"It wasn't that clean-smellin' before, either, believe me." The slit-eyed man hummed thoughtfully in the back of his throat and made a show of scanning the laboratory. "Hey May-kun, where's Yume-chan, anyway?"

A disgusted grimace was all he got in response to the nickname, but Mayuri sighed and motioned to a door on the right. "In that room. Nemu's watching her, so she's not alone."

Gin watched the painted man begin to clean up his surgical table. "Where's her zanpakutou?"

Mayuri glanced up from sewing Szayel's stomach shut and finished the job quickly. "With her."

Gin raised his eyebrows. "You're not worried that she'll, uh, go berserk on ya?"

"No. I put a restraining collar on her. All Nemu needs to do is press a panic button, and I'll zap the consciousness right out of Yamazaki."

"Oooh. That's not nice."

"I'm not a nice man." Szayel's body was encased in a silvery substance at a wave of Mayuri's hand. "There. All preserved and ready for me when I get back."

He made to clean up the mess Ulquiorra's untimely death had created, and Gin strode towards the other door. "I'll be waitin' in the next room for ya."

The door led out into an open observatory balcony that overlooked a long rectangle-shaped room. In the middle of the balcony, watching Yume from behind a thick glass wall, stood Nemu Kurotsuchi. She turned at Gin's entrance, blinked to acknowledge his greeting smile, and returned to her observation.

Gin placed himself at her side and watched Yume down below. The room was filled with obstacle courses pushing Yume to stay in constant motion. Her zanpakutou was out in her hand, humming as it rapidly switched forms. Gin could barely hear anything through the thick glass shielding the balcony from the tests, but he could see her shouting out release commands before her zanpakutou changed form.

Nemu reached out and pressed a button on a keyboard attached to the balcony. "Terminate round six," she said. The obstacles in the room abruptly vanished, leaving Yume to slump to her knees in exhaustion. Her body trembled with over-exertion, and she looked up to the observatory.

Apparently, she had not been expecting to see Gin there. She flinched wildly at his overzealous wave and got shakily to her feet, her zanpakutou at the ready.

"A bit edgy, isn't she?" Gin observed. "Which one is she right now?"

Nemu understood the vague question without a problem. "The third one. Zazie Yamazaki."

Gin bobbed his head in understanding. "Ah. That explains it. Usually Yume-chan's a little brighter when she's, well…Yume-chan, and a bit more aggressive when she's Setsuna."

Mayuri chose to enter at that moment, wiping blood from his hands onto a towel he'd brought with him. He followed their gazes and saw Zazie standing in the middle of the room, watching them with the air of a trapped animal.

"You're close to gettin' what I asked you ta get," Gin said. He dismissed Mayuri's surprised stare and leaned forward, almost pressing his nose against the glass. Zazie trembled and looked away under the scrutiny of his gaze.

"Where are her bells?" he asked.

"Here." Mayuri pulled the bells out from his pocket. They were still threaded onto the black satin string, and Gin reached out to take them. He fingered them in his palm, thinking.

"What's yer diagnosis, doctor?"

"She's strong," Mayuri recited. "Very strong, especially when she's desperate. Setsuna is the strongest of the three, though. She is very confrontational. Yume will fight if she's pushed, but normally she just prefers to dodge things. And Zazie…Zazie is useless. Completely dead-weight. I'm surprised she lasted so long through this obstacle course."

"There's gotta be something she can do."

"She can run," Mayuri snorted condescendingly. "And she's the fastest, but that is it. She's also the most sentimental. Whenever I put her through mind games, she always breaks first."

"So," Gin said slowly, staring down at the bell marked _Z_ in his hand, "she's not really important?"

"Not in the ways of combat. In fact, I believe that her sole purpose in being tied to Yamazaki is to keep her sane."

Gin blinked in surprise and looked up. His finger had been pressing dangerously into Zazie's bell, but now he released it. "Sane?" he repeated. "How so?"

Mayuri leaned forward almost conspiratorially, his voice lowering into a whispering hiss. "It was the second day. I was putting Yamazaki through a mental course, testing to see how long her mind could withstand the pressure being put on it. During the test I accidentally scraped against her reiatsu and found not one thick layer, like I thought she'd have, but three layers. One for each of them. I took this and performed an experiment based on the information a while later. The results were as I suspected they would be. Our little test subject seems to have a problem with her identity. The constant switching of souls over the years has left her own soul…unstable. Weak, vulnerable, as it were. The three souls balance each other out. What I did in the experiment was trap Zazie's reiatsu and attempt to pry it away from her sisters'. They went berserk."

"Berserk." Gin's mouth stretched upwards in a pleased grin. "That sounds interesting."

"And it was," Mayuri muttered, a resentful tone entering his scratchy voice. "Until they destroyed half of my other lab. I had to use the restraining collar to bring them down, and even then it was a tough feat to accomplish."

"Tell me…" Gin stared down at the bells in his hand with newfound interest. "What do ya think these bells have in relation to the girls' reiatsu?"

"Those bells _represent_ their spirit energy. Destroy one, and you destroy the girl's hold over her own reiatsu. The effect should be…much like that of the experiment gone wrong. Or right, judging by the expression on your face."

Gin let out a low chuckle that shook his entire spindly frame. "Oh yeah, this is exactly what I was lookin' for when I asked ya to help me. See, May-kun? Ya really are a brilliant man."

Instead of preening at the flattery, Mayuri narrowed his eyes in distrust. Gin smirked in amusement. The man was _very_ smart not to trust something like that from him.

"Just what are you planning on doing with Yamazaki?" the captain asked. "What do you think Aizen could use her for?"

"Oh, I'm not going back to Aizen," Gin said flippantly. "Not after that stunt with Ulquiorra. Nah, he'll get too suspicious of me. Besides. I have the girl, and no amount of Hollows is gonna stop her once she's back to the way she should be."

"Back to the…?" Mayuri let out a dangerous hiss and drew away from the silver-haired man. "You can't be serious. You want to change her back _into_ that thing?"

Gin nodded brightly. "Uh-huh!"

"You're insane! She'll kill you! She'll kill all of us, and she'll flatten the entire spirit realm, including Hueco Mundo, when she snaps!"

"See, that's where ya underestimate her," Gin admonished. "I think, when she reverts back to that form, she'll know exactly who she's striking. And she won't touch a hair on my head."

"What makes you think she'll spare you?" Mayuri demanded. His voice pitch had heightened in desperation. "What makes you any different?"

Gin grinned and separated two bells from the other in his hand. "Ya said that Setsuna was the strongest, ne? You were right. She is. It's why she's survived all these years."

"What are you talking about? Yume is the one who holds all the power!"

"Nah, see, that's where you're wrong, May-kun." Gin held up the one bell and twisted it so Mayuri could see the elegant _S _carved into its surface. "It's Setsuna who's in charge of the power. She's the one who calls the shots. Yume-chan and Zazie-chan? They're just there to balance her out. Keep her sane, like ya said. Without them…oho, that's where things get interestin'."

Mayuri was now backing away so quickly that he nearly bumped into the wall. Nemu had taken the hint and tried to follow him. Gin reached out and held her back with one arm, glancing over at her father to see how he would react. He was still staring at Gin as if he'd just turned into a very nasty, very overgrown worm with three biting heads.

"Now, now. Don't leave. I was just starting."

"She will kill you," Mayuri warned him. "Setsuna hates everyone."

"Nah, she won't hurt me. We share a, uh, mutual respect for each other, ya know? Besides, even if she does try to attack me, it won't work. I taught her everything she knows."

He sent Zazie a glance, taking in her horrified expression with glee. It was almost as if she knew what was coming. Gin opened one blood red eye and winked at her. Then he bent down and placed Yume and Zazie's bells on the floor, one foot hovering over them.

"I never liked those two," he muttered, and brought his foot down hard.

* * *

He felt it the moment Ulquiorra died. It was as if a part of him had been cut off and hurled away. His perfect soldier was gone, no doubt the victim of a vicious attack that left him in several pieces, a broken picture of the once-great fourth Espada of Hueco Mundo.

Aizen smirked and rested his fingertips together. Perfect.

Everything was going as planned. The traitor had been identified. Skinner's death at his hands had not been enough to ensure this; Kurotsuchi could have been the one to do it. But Ulquiorra? No, he had been monitoring him, and the minute the act was done, he knew who it was.

He lifted his head and called into the darkness of the shadowed room. "Ulquiorra."

The cold Espada emerged from the shadows and bowed once at the waist. "Aizen-sama?"

"It seems Gin is not as trustworthy as we'd once thought. He killed you."

"Then it is as you suspected, Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra replied. "Do you think that he killed Skinner?"

"Oh yes. I am almost completely certain."

"Then he will have Yamazaki in his power."

Aizen pressed his lips together. "Yes. For the moment, at least."

There was a brief pause. "Ulquiorra. I want you to join Tōsen in Karakura. He should be beginning his assault soon."

"Yes, Aizen-sama. May I inquire as to what you will be doing?"

Narrow brown eyes flashed dangerously in the dark for a moment.

"I'm going to find and kill a traitor."

_To be continued…_

* * *

A/N: You didn't really think I could kill Ulquiorra, did you? Actually kill him? No. Never!

What about Skinner? If I couldn't kill Ulquiorra, could I really kill him? Hmm, hmm...

So see, while Ulquiorra and Gin were already in Mayuri's secret lab, finding Yume, Uryu and the others are still running around searching for her in Rukongai. They're close, but not close enough to stop what's going to happen. ;)

Please review on your way out! Let me know that I haven't lost my entire audience yet, those of you who are still reading.

SYNKATID:

-Skinner wasn't named Skinner, but he still existed. He hunted Yume just as he does now, only for more personal reasons than just because he was ordered to. His story was like that of Grand Fisher and Ichigo; he'd killed her family, and was after her to finish off the job.

_Next time, in Chapter Twenty: It's a race against the clock for everyone as Uryu and company hurry to find Yume before it's too late. Gin completes his treachery and commits a new one, Aizen hits a roadblock, and the revelation of Yume's mysterious past proves to be a potential downfall for the Seireitei...and herself._


	20. Twenty: World's End

Thank you so much for your reviews and favorites! It's great to know that mostly everyone's still here.

I would have updated sooner, like a week ago, but unfortunately I was banned from any sort of creative writing at all because my grades dropped. Two of them to be precise. But they're up again so here I go.

Disclaimer: Because, astonishingly, I've never had her disclaim this before – Orihime.

Orihime: Umm, Kimsa Ki-Lurria doesn't own Bleach or any of its characters. She only owns Yume, Setsuna, Zazie, Skinner, and the Ivory Deity. …Err, you're not going to hurt Ishida-kun in this chapter, are you?

Me: Nah. There'll be time for that later.

Orihime: O-oh. Please don't hurt anyone else.

Me: Well, I can't make any promises. ;)

Orihime: ……

Me: What's that look for? Don't look so sad! It's what I do.

Orihime: But…but…I don't want to see them get hurt.

Me: -____-

Orihime: sniff…

Me: Oh, alright. _Ishida-kun _won't get hurt in this chapter.

Orihime: :) ...Hey, but what about the rest of my —

Me: Okay, kiddo, we've taken up enough space already. Let the people read!

Orihime: But…

Me: Shh!

Orihime: :(

* * *

Twenty

World's End

It was storming in Karakura. Rain drove against the ceiling so hard that it sounded like a dozen Hollows had taken up a game of hop-scotch on his roof. Railing wind made the magnificent house moan and groan as if it were about to be blown right off the ground. It had even started to hail a while back.

All in all, a perfect night for the world to end.

Ryuuken Ishida leaned back in his comfortable chair, took a sip of steaming tea from the mug in his hands, and sighed in satisfaction as its warmth flowed through his tired body. The storm drummed on the windows at his back, making the glass groan ominously. Ryuuken pressed his lips together and set his cup down. The house was old, he had to admit. This was not exactly the ideal weather for its upholding.

He was sitting in his large study, only one light on to keep away the chill of a winter night. The rest of the ornate room lay in shadow. It was quieter than he would have expected with the storm raging outside, and the silence pleased him. It was just him alone in a room full of shelved books, and no one to bother him.

Or so he would have preferred.

Closing his eyes briefly in annoyance, Ryuuken reached for his cup and pulled an open book from the side of his polished desk. He ran his fingers over the smooth pages and proceeded to skim the tightly-spaced words, lifting his tea to his lips.

"How long were you planning on standing there in the dark?"

There was a short chuckle, and Ryuuken lowered his mug to glare balefully at Isshin Kurosaki as the other man pulled himself from the shadows. The lamp on Ryuuken's desk created a steady yellow light that lit only half of Ichigo's father's face.

"As long as I could without you noticing," he replied. "I was there for almost a minute. I'm surprised you didn't discover me immediately. You must be getting old."

Ryuuken grimaced in distaste and returned to his book. "If that is so, Isshin, then so are you."

"Old? Me? Nah."

"Hmm. Quite right. Allow me to remedy my phrasing. I meant that you are old in body. In mind you are still a very immature little boy."

Isshin winced and gave the stoic man a wide grin. "Well, I won't deny it. I'm not as young as I used to be."

"Mmm."

Ryuuken resisted the urge to scoot away as the other man strode forward. He noticed, not without disgust, that Ichigo's father was wearing his shinigami robes again.

"What are those for?"

Isshin lifted his eyebrows in surprise and tugged at his uniform. "This? Wouldn't you already know?"

_Fwahp._ Ryuuken turned a page in his book and lifted his mug again. "That depends on whether I want to get involved or not. It just so happens that I do not."

Isshin's genial expression hardened into something more serious. "Ishida. I'm not joking with you."

"And neither am I, _Kurosaki_."

Isshin made a face at his friend's formality, but did not comment on it. "There's a war coming. Tonight. You know this already, don't you?"

"Of course."

"…Our sons will be fighting. _Your_ son will be fighting."

A grimace. A flash of irritation, gone with the turn of a page and a sip of tea.

Ryuuken did not reply. This time, it was Isshin who became annoyed.

"Oh, come on, Ishida! Who's acting the immature child now?" The heavy-set man pressed his hands onto the edge of his friend's desk, lowering his head and trying to get Ryuuken to look him in the eye. Ryuuken pointedly ignored him. _Fwahp, sip._

The storm screamed on outside. Isshin let out a weary sigh that made him seem twice as old as he really was, and Ryuuken set his mug down again. A strand of silver hair fell into his eyes. He brushed it away with a short huff.

"What would you have me do?" The elder Quincy asked curtly. "Hmm? This is a lost cause; you can see that as clearly as anyone —"

"So you would rather just sit here and sip tea and read books instead of stand up for the lives of the innocent?" Isshin demanded. "You're a doctor, dammit, we both are! Besides the fact that we fight for the same cause, we should be protecting lives, not disregarding them!"

"You sound more like a hot-headed teenager than a doctor right now," Ryuuken said spitefully.

Isshin drew back, stung, and clenched his hands on Ryuuken's desk. "Well. If that's what I need to be to get you to respond."

Ryuuken let out a disdainful snort and Isshin bristled again. "My hot-headed teenager's out there right now, fighting for his life and for others'. And _your_ hot-headed teenager is out there too. How can you not want to support him?"

"Uryu is a fool."

The hateful words were out before he could stop them, muttered in a resentful hiss that carried all of the anger and bitterness he felt towards his son. Isshin flexed his hands, thinking, silent.

"You don't think that. Really. Down deep."

"I don't think Uryu is a fool, I _know_ Uryu is a fool!" Ryuuken snapped. "And he's going to get himself killed one day. Why do you think I tried to keep him from becoming a Quincy?"

Ryuuken fell silent and stared at the book in front of him with a sour glower. "All I wanted was for him to be normal," he muttered. "For him to be safe. Not like his mother. And what did he do? He disobeyed me. Me! His father! I tried to forgive him, to give him another chance, but then he went and gallivanted off with those idiot shinigami — with _your_ son — even though he swore not to. Unforgivable."

The last word was spat out like an unsavory, rotten thing on the tip of his tongue. Ryuuken glared at the book in front of him with such a fiery anger in his eyes that he would not have been surprised it the thin pages burst into flames. He almost wished for it to happen.

"Ishida."

"What?"  
"I forgive you."

Ryuuken was so startled his head shot up, glasses nearly coming askew in the sharp movement. He felt his mouth open in shock and his face flooded with indignant heat. "_What_?"

Isshin gave him a boorish smile. "You know, for a smart person, sometimes you can be very stupid. Hold on, don't interrupt — I have something to say. You don't honestly think that after what Uryu-kun went through that he'd just listen to you because you're his father? What did you ever do for him?"

Ryuuken's back went stiff, and he lifted his chin haughtily. "I worked nonstop just to feed that ungrateful brat! Just to put food on the table for him, to clothe him, make sure he could get a decent education and stay warm at night."

"Uh-huh. What else?"

"I…" Ryuuken hesitated, and Isshin nodded almost sagely.

"There you have it. That's not enough, Ishida. Not nearly enough. After his mother died, Uryu-kun's grandfather was the one who stepped in to fill the gap. Am I right? Yes. They must have formed a strong bond sometime. It's only natural that Uryu-kun should pick up some of his grandfather's talents."

"I told him not to teach him," Ryuuken hissed. "I warned him of the danger. I even told Uryu that there was no profit to be made from it!"

"Oh, yes. And I'm sure that money is very important to a child of nine."

Ryuuken scowled. "It should have been. He was _my_ child."

"And he's _still_ your kid."

"Not anymore," Ryuuken muttered. Isshin went very still.

"What do you mean?"

For some reason, Ryuuken found himself sinking lower into his chair. Almost as if he felt guilty. He straightened immediately and forced himself to look the ex-captain in the eye.

"I disowned him."

Isshin stared at him, blinking slowly. Ryuuken waited patiently for the explosion, but it never came.

"How long ago was this?" Isshin's voice was low and hoarse.

Ryuuken shrugged, forcing himself to be indifferent. "More than a week. Maybe two."

Isshin seemed to have difficulty swallowing. "Was it…official?"

"No. I didn't deem it worth the effort to dredge up the paperwork."

Isshin let out a long, low breath of relief and smiled again. "Good. That's good."

Ryuuken sent him a scornful scowl. "And why exactly do you care?"

"You're that boy's lifeline, Ishida, whether you realize it or not."

"We haven't lived in the same house for years —"

"So? You never fully disowned him, did you?"

"No…"

"Then there." Isshin hesitated and leaned forward again. His eyes were intense and serious. "When you…'disowned' him, you didn't say anything nasty, did you? Ishida?"

Ryuuken sighed. "I told him that I wouldn't have a son who ran around breaking promises and consorting with shinigami."

"That it?"

"That's what's important."

Isshin gave a satisfied grunt and leaned back on his heels. He pondered for a bit before looking back at Ryuuken. "I still think you're an idiot," he pointed out.

An irritated scowl passed over Ryuuken's face, but it held no real ill will.

"So, you still don't think you'll fight?"

He heaved an exasperated sigh and buried his face in his hands. "You are a very irritating man," he mumbled. Isshin laughed.

"And I haven't heard that one before."

"Fine." Ryuuken stood up and closed his book. His tea had gone cold sometime during their discussion. "I'll fight. But not for Uryu! And certainly not for you, so you can wipe that ridiculous smirk off your face."

"For the innocents, then," Isshin supplied. Ryuuken nodded solemnly.

"I'm a doctor. It's my duty."

Isshin let out another rolling laugh, holding one hand to his stomach. "Oh, Ishida. You're so complicated, I'm not even sure how I got you to agree to that!"

"Me neither, Isshin," Ryuuken muttered dryly. "Me neither."

* * *

Ulquiorra watched impassively as his fellow Espadas stepped out from the _garganta _leading from Hueco Mundo straight into Karakura. Stark, Halibel, Barrigan, and their various subordinates filed in after one another, their sights set on the storming city. Tōsen stared off sightlessly into the distance. Ulquiorra spared him a glance.

"Resistance?" he questioned. Tōsen nodded.

"Local," he answered. "One shinigami. Another like that Quincy ryoka. They are not close by, but I can feel them preparing for something."

Neither of them needed clarifying that Soul Society would be sending reinforcements to protect the human city. As soon as they received word that Karakura had been attacked, the shinigami would start sending in their best to protect their beloved humans. There was never any question about it.

"We will begin the first wave," Tōsen stated. "By the time Soul Society responds, I expect that we will already have a good head start."

Ulquiorra found himself the victim of the blind ex-captain's sightless gaze and understood immediately that he was to administer the first blow. The rain slicked his hair down the sides of his face and made the fabric of his uniform cling to his arm as he raised one colorless hand and aimed it at a nearby row of houses.

"Cero."

The unflappable Espada allowed himself a brief, fleeting moment of satisfaction in the strike before wiping his mind free of emotion once more. Where the houses had been a second before was a deep, smoking scar. The inhabitants were unquestionably dead.

Tonight, he would make Aizen-sama proud.

* * *

_Restricted access. Password requested._

_…Password 'Dono-san' accepted._

_File: 117KIR7724_

_Incident reported on January 7__th__, 2002._

_The following is a report on a fatal Hollow attack at approximately 8:21 p.m. Units in area were delayed from assisting because of further disturbances in the vicinity. It is still unsure of whether this was a planned attack or not. Records show dramatic increase in Hollow activity at time of attack. Will take into consideration. _

_Residual reiatsu-scans indicate that there were at least five Hollow at the scene of the attack. The victims' bodies were discovered in an alleyway behind a shopping center. They sustained main injuries to the head and chest. One of the victims was no longer in possession of her legs. The attack was fatal for all three victims. _

_Unusual circumstances do apply and require further investigation. Scan shows the remains of a burst of spiritual energy from one of the victims. The energy has been termed as "aggressive" and "amorphous" in that one of the men investigating the scene was overtaken by a brief spell of hostility towards his comrades. When later interrogated, the witness claimed that "some unknown force" had attached itself to him and molded itself to a likeliness of his own spiritual energy. He relayed that for a brief episode he felt "like someone else entirely" and was urged by the "unknown force" to attack his comrades._

_It is suspected that disorientation from the attack may have caused the witness's information to be unreliable. Soon after the interrogation, the witness began exhibiting the behavior of a rabid Hollow: biting, gnashing, random attacks, feral and animal-like conduct, open hostility towards other shinigami, etc. Upon confinement, the witness was left alone for a period of 12 hours. When a volunteer came to check up on him, the witness was discovered dead. He was hollow beneath the outer layer of skin; there were no spirit particles to make up the inside of his body._

_The witness's insanity and subsequent suicide/death have been traced back to the Hollow attack on the three victims. Further investigation is mandatory. Until such a time when the situation can be fully explained, this incident is to be categorized as top-secret._

_File: 117KIR2236_

_Linked to file 117KIR7724 of the Amorphous-Hollow incident._

_The victims of the Hollow attack have been identified. They are three citizens, none of which have shown potential spiritual power before their deaths, and all look to be about thirteen years old. Their names are as follows: Setsuna, Yume, and Zazie Yamazaki._

_The family of the deceased appears to have relocated elsewhere directly after the attack. Further investigation will commence. [Program terminated. Topic and case closed due to potential danger if unauthorized discovery. Since this seems to be an isolated incident, the subject will be dropped.]_

_-File closed._

* * *

By all rights, the prohibited file on Yume Yamazaki and her sisters should have given Mayuri some idea of what he was dealing with. A Hollow-like presence, an "aggressive, amorphous" reiatsu…and that shinigami's possession and odd, inexplicable death a short time later. He'd come to many conclusions upon first seeing that forbidden file, but none of them could have prepared him for the truth.

When Gin crushed her sisters' bells, Yamazaki shrieked as if someone had torn her very soul from her body which, in reality, someone had. She dropped her zanpakutou and clutched her raven-haired head with clawing hands. Mayuri bared his teeth in a grimace. It sounded like she was being tortured with dull knives.

Gin was grinning like a madman. Setsuna's bell gleamed ominously in his hand, seeming to radiate with an inner light. There was a spike in Yamazaki's reiatsu. A chill went through Mayuri's body. The spirit energy was somehow different from Yamazaki's normal reiatsu. This was colder, more alien and savage feeling, not like normal spirit energy…

There was a flash of light so bright Mayuri instinctively shielded his eyes. He heard what sounded like three girls screaming instead of only one. Somewhere to his left, he thought he heard Gin let out a bark of crazed laughter.

Despite the fact that he'd had the opportunity to experiment on a freak of nature, Mayuri found himself wondering if it was worth the end result.

Just like that, it was over. He opened his eyes and blinked in astonishment at the sight before him. Yamazaki was still standing, still clothed in the same black shinigami robes she'd been wearing, but she seemed…different. Her reiatsu was off. Mayuri had had the chance to examine her spirit energy intensively_, _and this girl standing in one of the rooms of his underground lab was _not _Yamazaki.

His lips stretched over his teeth in a wide grin.

_How interesting!_

Two figures in white lay huddled at Yamazaki's feet. Their backs were to him, but he had no trouble picking out the single blue streak laced into one of the girl's hair.

A prickle of excitement tingled down his spine. Very_ interesting…_

Yamazaki — no, it wasn't Yamazaki, this was something entirely different — stood staring with wide eyes at the shielded balcony they watched her from. Mayuri could see her vivid green eyes over the short distance, and he frowned. Those were Setsuna's eyes. But that wasn't Setsuna. This girl stood with an air of fluid elegance that was never present in the eldest Yamazaki's antagonistic posturing. He reached out to feel her spirit energy and immediately drew back with a hiss. Her reiatsu slipped around him like water. A single word came to his mind: amorphous.

Ah.

And there was no missing that broken Hollow's mask decorating half of her forehead.

The hidden document's words came pouring back to him. Aggressive. Feral. Animal-like. _Hollow-like._

_Arrancar, hmm?_

The thing that looked like Yamazaki twitched then, staring down at the girls curled up at her feet. She bent down to touch the cheek of the girl without the blue streak, and then the other girl's. Mayuri saw her mouth their names. _Zazie. Yume._

_How curious,_ Mayuri thought as he watched her pick up her zanpakutou. _This is nothing like when I tried to remove her sister's soul from her body._

Moving with a startling grace, she straightened and looked up. She met Mayuri's eye. There was a flash of movement, and when he blinked, she was standing right in front of him.

"Ah. Kurotsuchi-kun."

Her voice should have been lovely. It should have had a caressing tone, soft and light and feminine. But it wasn't. There was a cruelty in her words that was absent in her movements. Her livid eyes nearly glinted with bloodlust and malice.

She gave him a dazzling smile and he instinctively took a step back. It was a hunter's smile. He knew; he'd showed it to various test subjects when he was luring them into his traps.

Now that she was closer to him, Mayuri could make out the form of her broken Hollow's mask. It looked almost like a set of three chains, it was so delicate. Half of her head was wrapped in it, the bone-white structure clinging to her hair without any means of support. It dipped down towards the junction between her eyebrows, forming half of a colorless teardrop. He eyed it with curiosity and offered her a dangerous smile of his own.

"A headdress?" he questioned. "Like a queen?"

Her eyes flashed in amusement. "Something like that."

Losing interest in him, she turned in a flowing motion to Gin. He was still standing where he'd been a moment ago, Setsuna's bell held in one open palm. The fragments of Zazie and Yume's bells crunched beneath his foot as he pivoted towards her.

"Dono-san," she greeted coolly. Gin grinned and gave her a short bow.

"Deity," he said. "You've no idea how lonely I've been without you."

"How long has it been?" the girl asked. "A year? Two years."

"Not as long as that. Six months."

She smirked at him. "You've been counting?"

"Every day."

"My. You _have_ been lonely."

Gin shrugged and in one long-legged stride moved over to Mayuri. "Nah," he said, slinging an arm around the captain's shoulders, "May-kun's been good company."

"So," Mayuri said dryly, taking in Yamazaki's changed form with one glance, "this is what you wanted me to discover."

"I wanted ya to find a way to get her out," Gin corrected him. "Poor thing was suffocatin' in Yamazaki's body. And ya did, May-kun! Good job. She probably won't kill you for that."

The girl narrowed her eyes at Mayuri. He forced himself to be still. The whole time, the predatory smile did not fade from her porcelain face. "No," she said slowly. "You've been a great help to me, Kurotsuchi-kun. Setsuna doesn't like you, Zazie was afraid of you, and Yume thought she could tame you, but I'm glad to see you didn't let that affect you. Much."

Mayuri let the comment slide and craned his neck to pick out Zazie and Yume's unmoving forms. "Speaking of Setsuna, where is she? I see the other two down there, but not her."

She twitched her mouth in a show of irritation. "I am Setsuna," she answered. "And then again, I'm not. This is her body. This is her soul. I'm just…borrowing them. They're rightfully mine, anyways."

"Oh, really? What makes you say that?"

The girl's eyes sharp eyes went very hard. "You're a smart man, Kurotsuchi. Figure it out."

Mayuri let out a loud giggle and brushed Gin's arm off his shoulders. "Well, then. Let me see. You have Yamazaki's appearance, but you claim that you two are one and the same…and then you're not. Your reiatsu is unlike anything I've ever felt before. It doesn't seem to have a shape. It needs a shape...a body, to be able to exist properly. And what is reiatsu without its wielder? What is a zanpakutou without its wielder, and what is a wielder's energy without a zanpakutou? Amorphous."

_So very interesting…she's a shinigami's worst nightmare come true._

He clicked his teeth together decisively. "Tell you what. I say you're Setsuna, all right, but you're more than just her. You're her spirit energy…in command of her body."

She smiled and tapped the headdress decorating her hair. "You forgot one small detail."

"Ah, yes. I must apologize for my faulty manners. You're an _Arrancar's _spirit energy."

The girl clapped her hands together in glee. "As knowledgeable as ever, Kurotsuchi-kun. You're a credit to your race. That is why I will not kill you."

She pursed her lips and glanced over at Nemu, who had remained silent the entire time. "Or your daughter. I know what happens to those who fight you, Kurotsuchi-kun, and I would rather not have bacteria in my body. Especially since you would be dead and unable to extract them."

Mayuri smirked inwardly. _Smart, sneaky little girl. What shall I call you?_

It was as if she had read his innermost thoughts. "You may call me," she said with a smile, "the Ivory Deity."

The Deity paused at that moment and lifted her head. Her green eyes widened fractionally and she whirled on Gin, who reflexively held up his hands in an "I-didn't-do-it" gesture.

"Oh, Gin!" She exclaimed, practically purring his name. "Why didn't you tell me the Octava was here?"

She swept past Mayuri and into the room where Szayel was. Gin came forward and put a hand on Mayuri's shoulder.

"Come on," he said lightly. "You're not gonna want ta miss this."

His curiosity overriding his instincts, Mayuri allowed himself to be guided from the balcony. He spared Yume and Zazie a last glance as he left. They still hadn't moved from where they were. Letting out a disdainful snort, Mayuri turned away and all but removed them from his mind. The excitement was elsewhere.

The Deity was already bent over Szayel's unconscious form when Mayuri, Gin, and Nemu entered the lab. She let out a disapproving clucking noise in the back of her throat and traced the side of the Espada's cheek through the preservative fluid.

"Szayel. Szayel, Szayel, Szayel. I always told you that you would get yourself caught in a mess you couldn't handle. Now look at you. _Tsk_." She leaned back and turned a concerned gaze towards Gin. Mayuri was almost ninety percent sure that her worry was fake.

"What's been happening since I was gone, Gin?"

"A lot of stuff," he replied flippantly. "Aizen went and got himself power-crazy again and kidnapped one of the shinigami's little friends. That started a war. In fact, high above us, there's one nasty battle going on."

"The shinigami are attacking?" The Deity's words were a malignant hiss. Her eyes almost seemed to blaze with some inner fire. "Those worthless, lying pack of thieves!"

"Hey, ouch. I used to be one of them, ya know."

The Deity sent him a withering look and bent back over Szayel. "Oh, Szayel. You were always complaining that I'd stolen your show. What do you say to a grand entrance, hmm?"

To Gin, she said, "Where's Aizen?"

Gin giggled and followed Mayuri's gaze to the severed body suspended from the ceiling. "Well, I killed his lapdog and he probably knows by now, so I think he should be here any minute."

Something dangerous glinted in the girl's eye. "Good. Let's give him something to play with when he gets here, shall we?"

Yamazaki's zanpakutou, which she had kept strung about her waist the entire time, came out in her small hands. A dark streak stained the length of the sword's silver blade. Mayuri could not help but notice that the carving of the phoenix on the zanpakutou's hilt had changed, too. Its wings were spread out and its neck curved high and proud, a far cry from the shy creature it had once been. But where it had once seemed healthy and hale, now some of the phoenix's feathers were falling off its flesh, almost as if the mythical animal was rotting alive.

"Resurección," the Deity commanded. "Conform, Fénix marfileño."

Mayuri waited with baited breath, his eyes gleaming in anticipation. _This is it. This is iiiiittt..._

Nothing happened. The Deity stood with her zanpakutou extended over Szayel's body, staring down expectantly at him.

Just when Mayuri was about to call her bluff, Gin tightened his grip on the captain's shoulder.

"Watch," he whispered. "Watch this, Mayuri-kun."

From the back of the Deity's shoulder blades, something began to sprout. Mayuri watched in fascination as long, ivory-colored wings swept out around the girl's borrowed body. Like the carving on her sword, feathers dangled from her wings' flesh, as if hanging by a mere thread of skin. The headdress on her forehead flourished out until it was complete.

Szayel's eyes opened.

The Deity looked up and fixed Mayuri was a questioning stare. "His sword?" she said. Mayuri shrugged and held up his empty hands. At his side, Gin made an apologetic noise and reached into the folds of his coat.

"Sorry, I put it in here for safe-keeping," he said. The Deity accepted his offer without a word and handed it to Szayel. The Octava Espada pushed aside the fluid surrounding him and grasped the hilt. The Deity's lips relaxed into a smile.

"Good." She stepped back, watching as the Espada sat up and pulled himself off the surgical table. His movements were slow and trance-like; Mayuri noted that his gaze was dull and lifeless. If he hadn't been moving on his own, Mayuri would have claimed that he was still dead to the world.

_Very, very interesting indeed, _he mused silently.

The Deity retreated to stand just in front of Mayuri, Gin, and Nemu, and focused her stare on Szayel.

"Good boy, Szayel," she said approvingly. "Now give them a show."

Szayel lifted his arm up at an angle, his palm facing the ceiling, and shot a cero from his hand.

* * *

Byakuya followed the ryoka children across Rukongai without complaint at the speed they were traveling. Judging by the Quincy boy's furrowed brow, he was concentrating as hard as he could to lead them straight to Yamazaki.

Or he better have been. Anything less would result in Byakuya teaching him a very painful lesson. After they found Yamazaki, of course.

He knew that Kurosaki and his friends held Yamazaki's capture to be at least partially his fault. After all, he'd been the one who put her in Kurotsuchi's care in the first place.

Byakuya was not prone to admitting mistakes he made. Just this once, however, he was obligated to acknowledge that if he had never left Yamazaki, they would most likely not be in this situation. His emotions rumbled with guilt every time he thought of it.

In retrospect, what had the girl ever done to him that warranted such drastic action? She was annoying. She talked when she was upset. She had no respect for formalities – any stranger was immediately "Stranger-kun." She managed to draw too much malevolent attention toward herself, and her past was a near-complete mystery, something he could not trust.

And she was also amusing at times. Her innocence was something he had not experienced in such a long time, and it was a balm to his war-ravaged soul. He hadn't realized how soothing it was to have her near him. When he had returned to his division after relinquishing her into Kurotsuchi's care, it had been much too quiet. He had stood in the middle of his room for an undetermined stretch of time, listening to the silence pressing itself around him. Something felt…empty within him. Something that had been there when Yamazaki was there. He'd thought that her presence was suffocating at first, but now that she was gone, he felt cold. Almost like he had when Hisana had died.

And she had never done anything to hurt him. He had hurt her more than she could ever hurt him.

When he found her, he decided, he would make it up to her. He would not go so far as to do a headstand (never that), but he would make sure she understood that she was not only a nuisance, a child getting under his feet. He owed her at least that much.

The Quincy boy's sudden halt in the middle of a heated battle jerked Byakuya back to reality. He sidestepped a Hollow's attack and dispatched it with one blow.

"Well?" Kurosaki demanded irritably. "Where is she, Ishida?"

The black-haired boy, Ishida, stopped and shook his head in frustration. "I don't understand. She should be right here. This is where her signature last…"

Byakuya felt it seconds before it struck. There was a tremendous swell in the spirit energy surrounding them, and it was coming from…right beneath their feet.

"Back!" he ordered. They leapt away from the area.

A second later, the ground erupted where they had been standing.

* * *

Aizen was not happy.

He had just been betrayed by his seemingly loyal right-hand man. A potentially dangerous enemy had just been reawakened. And he could not get to either of them because he could feel a violent old man approaching at a rapid pace.

The temptation to ignore him and rush to the Soul Society to find the traitor was almost overwhelming. But Aizen had always been a gentleman, and it was rude to ignore a guest. Especially when the death of that guest could win the war for him.

So he waited, patiently biding his time, in the central throne room for Yamamoto to arrive. He would not have much time. The old man would have to go. Quickly.

Immediately.

"Well, well," he said, lifting his head as a black tear in the air announced the general's arrival. "Yamamoto. How kind of you to pay me a personal visit."

The elderly shinigami stepped forth from the tear, the sound of his cane hitting the cold floor echoing in the grand hall. "I am assuming that you did not expect me here," he said.

Aizen narrowed his eyes. "It is very rude to drop in unexpected."

"Ah. Well, I'm afraid I don't feel sorry in the least."

"Hmm." Aizen lifted his chin, eyes glinting frostily. "Well. I was about to leave on important business, but your...visit...supersedes that."

"I did not come here to listen to your word games, Aizen."

"You always did insist on taking the aggressive stance."

"I would rather we discuss our different views with our zanpakutou, not our mouths."

Aizen smirked. "Blunt and quick to the point, as always. It is going to get you killed. I wonder how your precious shinigami will fare without you."

Yamamoto grimaced and shed his captain's cloak. In his hands, his staff hummed for a fight.

"You overestimate yourself."

* * *

_To be continued…_

A/N: I sincerely hope none of this seemed rushed. Interaction between Aizen and Yamamoto is so hard to write…and I've gotten out of practice with Byakuya. I promise, there will be more of him in the next chapter. A lot more.

SYNKATID:

- Gin was never going to betray Aizen, but Kurotsuchi was always going to turn against Soul Society.

_Next time: The war goes on. Byakuya faces down a monstrosity in Yume's form, and the Ivory Deity's full power is revealed. Yume and Zazie show that they hold more power than once suspected, and Uryu and his friends fight for their lives in Chapter Twenty-One: The Ivory Deity._

_Please review._


	21. Twenty One: The Ivory Deity

Sorry for the delay. I was the victim of a minor writer's block ambush.

But thank you for your reviews, alerts, and favorites! I always enjoy feedback, whether praise or constructive criticism, so the effort you put into commenting doesn't go unnoticed. Thanks!

I rather like this chapter, if I do say so myself. In other words — Warning: disturbing opening scene.

Today for our disclaimer we have the wonderful "old man" Isshin Kurosaki!  
Isshin: I'm not old! You want old, take a look at Yamamoto…

Me: Yes, well…I would never say that to his face. It's different with you.

Isshin: Oh, thanks…

Me: -shrugs- I would never say it to Ryuuken either…

Isshin: He is kind of scary, isn't he?

Me: Yes, very. Anyway, disclaim TID please.

Isshin: Oh yeah! Let's see…Kimsa Ki-Lurria doesn't own Bleach or any of its characters. She only owns her OCs and that Skinner fellow…by the way, is he really dead?  
Me: That'd be telling. But you'll see soon enough…old man…

Isshin: Hey!

* * *

Twenty-One

The Ivory Deity

"_It's dark."_

_Two pairs of glowing eyes turned on her, one accusing, the other questioning. Nee-san's eyes flashed irritably._

"_Of course it is, Yume. It's almost seven thirty."_

_She spoke. Her voice sounded tiny and helpless in her own ears. "I want to go home."_

"_Don't be stupid. You're acting like a scared little kid."_

_Her sisters were two faceless, dark-haired forms against a murky background. Their eyes glowed ominously in their pale, feature-less faces, violent green and bright violet. Faceless. _

_Like monsters. _

_She couldn't make out where they were. All she knew was that it was dark, and a long alleyway was stretching past her sisters. It led away into shadow. She wondered if she walked towards it, she would be swallowed whole. Where did it lead? Would she simply cease to exist if she strode into that ebony abyss?_

_A shudder passed through her body and she turned her head aside. What was this nightmare?_

"_She's right, Nee-san." The figure with the purple eyes was talking to Nee-san. Her orbs were two wide, circle-shaped marbles in her face. "It's getting late. Mom and Dad said we should be back before eight o'clock."_

_Mom and Dad. For some reason, those three words stung something deep in her chest. _

_I never got to say goodbye. I never got to say "I love you" one last time._

_The monsters came and took me away…_

_She looked up as Nee-san began to speak again. Her sister's voice started out strong, giving her a scathing admonishment for her childish fears, but her words faded into garbled noise. Soon she wasn't even speaking. Her movements suggested that she was still talking, but her words were muted._

_There was a funny buzzing sound in her ears. She shook her head and tried to get rid of it. She couldn't hear Nee-san._

_Nee-san…_

_Behind you._

_The monsters came creeping over the walls bordering the alley, gnashing their hungry teeth. She stood stock still, stiff with fear. There were five of them, all huge and hulking, slithering and creeping towards her sisters' turned backs. They didn't see them. They were going to get eaten…_

_Behind you, she tried to say. Nee-san. Nee-chan. Behind you. M-monsters…_

_The monsters reached out and tore her sisters to shreds with their claws. Her siblings flew apart like ripped paper, and she tried to scream. Nothing came out._

_Now the monsters turned on her, and she crumpled to the ground, shaking. She curled in on herself in a tiny ball and sobbed desperately. She waited for the monsters to take her._

_A soft touch on her shoulder startled her into silence. She opened her eyes. Nee-san was standing over her, glowing green eyes bright and shining. Behind her, the monsters were falling over each other in their haste to destroy one another. She blinked in confusion._

"_Nee-san?" she finally whispered, her voice coming back to her. "M-monsters…"_

_Nee-san smiled then, a terrible, savage smile. Her mouth opened and she stared into a yawning abyss of gnashing teeth._

_Her own mouth fell open, and she screamed, long and hard. She tried to get up and run away, but something clanked and held her back. She looked down. There was a chain leading from a hole in her chest. It wrapped around her legs and twisted up to attach to a hole in Nee-san's chest. They were chained together. She tried to pull it free, but a fiery pain ignited in her chest where the hole was. She fell back with a cry and sobbed into her hands._

"_Yume…" _

_Nee-chan was huddled on the floor at Nee-san's feet, clutching her own chain. She was chained to Nee-san too._

"_Run," she whispered. "Monsters…"_

_Nee-san, or the thing that looked like Nee-san, reached out with one clawed hand. She screamed and tried to pull away again, but Nee-san was there, pulling her in, deeper, deep into her blazing green gaze._

_Monsters, she thought dazedly. Blackness seeped in from all corners of her vision._

_Monsters…monsters…monsters…_

* * *

Yume opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was her sister, curled in around herself. Zazie had on an expression of pain, and one of her long arms was wrapped around her middle. Panicked sweat made her smooth face, utterly identical to Yume's own, shine and gleam with fear. Her mouth worked silently, futilely struggling to speak. Yume blinked and reached out with one hand.

"Zazie…?" she whispered hoarsely. Her entire body felt incredibly weak. It took all of her strength just to lift her arm and touch her sister's face.

Zazie's violet eyes flew open and she jerked away, screaming. Yume jumped, startled, and reached out to her hysterical triplet.

"No, Zazie! Stop it! It's me. It's Yume!"

Her sister shuddered and gasped, squeezing her eyes shut. She trembled and hid her face in her hands.

"M-monsters," she whimpered.

Yume grimaced and took her sister's shaking hands in her own. "I know," she said. "I know."

Zazie swallowed dryly and looked with reddened eyes around them. They were lying on the floor in Mayuri's lab, dressed in white robes. Zazie closed her eyes and wet her lips.

"We…we lost," she whispered. She met Yume's gaze. "Didn't we? It came out again."

Yume nodded desolately and dropped her sister's hands. "Yeah. It got out."

Her sister tried to get up. A flash of pain crossed her face and she flopped back against the ground, letting out a despairing sob.

"It's over," she said. "It's all over. It's out and…Ishida-san and Inoue-san and Bya…Kuchiki-san…all of them…"

Yume bit her lip hard and felt the weariness vanish from her face as determination heated her insides. "No," she said firmly. "No, they're not going to die. None of them."

"B-but…the Deity…"

"Will burn itself out again. And when it does, we'll have Setsuna back and we'll be one again. And we'll…" Yume closed her eyes. Byakuya's face appeared before her, stern and impassive and familiar, and she could not suppress the grief that swept through her.

"We'll leave," she gasped. "We'll leave and we won't come back. For them. So they can be safe."

Zazie nodded, sympathy pooling in her purple eyes. "You love him," she stated simply. Yume blinked at her in surprise. "Kuchiki-san."

She closed her eyes and let out a long, slow breath. "Yes," she said. "Stupid as it is, I love all of them. I mean, how can I? I barely know most of them. But…Ishida-kun, Inoue-chan, Kurosaki-kun, Chad…Byakuya-kun. I love all of them. As friends. Bya-kun is a…like a father, almost. Almost."

"So to protect them, you'll leave them." It was not a question.

"Yeah."

Zazie sighed and slowly pushed herself to her elbows, onyx hair falling loosely around her thin shoulders. "Like always. It's like Nee-san used to say. We can't be with the ones we love, because we'll destroy them."

"Setsuna was always right," Yume replied. Something rumbled high, high above them, and she bit her lip so hard she felt the skin break.

"That'll be the Deity," she said. Zazie nodded and slowly got to her knees.

"Think we can do it?" she said. "Again?"

Yume stared at her with an empty gaze. Everything hurt. She felt…lifeless. Limp. Like she couldn't get up if her life depended on it. A sudden wave of despair rolled through her tired body and she shuddered. Wouldn't it just be so much easier to give up? Go up there and get herself killed? She hoped reincarnation worked on souls with sins like hers. She could start anew. Be a normal human girl again. Just let go and be swept away into the tide of human souls and go back to a life of simplicity, trifles and happiness…

Zazie's gaze was worried, probing, almost as if she knew the exact route Yume's thoughts were taking.

"Nee-san," she whispered. "No. I know what you're thinking. You can't do it."

"Why not?" Yume pressed her face into the ground and stared at her hands. They'd done terrible things. Such terrible things. "Without me, Setsuna wouldn't be able to hold our body on her own. She'd fall apart at the seams and there wouldn't be a Deity anymore. I'm tired of being a balancing tool. I'm tired of having to destroy the things I love. I'm _tired_, Zazie."

Zazie fell silent for a moment. The rumbling continued somewhere above them.

"I know," she said, her voice weak and unsure. "And after this we can rest. But not before. _After_. We can't let them fight it on their own. They'll be massacred."

"But how are we supposed to stop it?" Yume protested. "Last time, it stopped itself because it couldn't handle the power. It won't be like that this time. I know. I…I felt it. When Gin broke the bells and it came out and took over Setsuna, I felt its thoughts…it wants to kill them all, Zazie. It'll only let itself burn out when they're all dead or in its power. And then they're all as good as gone. How are we supposed to stop it?"

A trail of tears spilled forth from Zazie's eyes. "I don't know!" She cried. "I don't know, Nee-san! Okay? I'm just trying to help you. You're not like this. This should be the other way around. You should be the strong one! I'm not the strong one! I c-can't…"

Yume watched her sister dissolve into tears and pushed herself to her knees. Every muscle protested in pain, but she ignored it and held onto her sister's shaking shoulders.

Her limbs trembled with weakness. She wanted so much to just lie down on the floor and wait for the Deity to destroy itself and come back and join with them again. She wanted her sister back. But she couldn't just lie down. She thought of her friends, bringing them to the forefront of her mind. She saw Byakuya's face in her mind's eye and swallowed.

He wouldn't want her to just sit there. She wasn't a child to be protected! She was only a year younger than Ishida-kun and the others…she could fight. She should fight.

Otherwise, the Deity would kill him. It knew who he was to her. It would go for him first.

A burning sensation unlike anything Yume had ever felt before swelled up in her stomach and spread through her entire body like wildfire. She set her face in an expression of resolve and scrambled to her feet. Zazie gasped in concern when she whimpered at the pain, but she waved her sister's worry away with one hand.

"Okay," she muttered to herself. "Strong. Be strong. You're strong. Strong, Yume."

She thrust a hand in Zazie's face and helped her sister to her feet.

"We have to find a way out of here," she said. Zazie paled.

"We're down so deep…"

"I know! We have to, though. As fast as we can. I can feel them, Zazie. All of them. Kurotsuchi-kun and Nemu-chan…they're somewhere here, still down here with us. But Bya-kun and the others...they're all above us. That's where we need to be. Not down here."

"Okay," Zazie whispered. She nodded briefly and turned determined violet eyes to her sister. "Okay, Nee-san."

Yume felt her face stretch up in a bright smile. "Don't worry, Zazie-chan. We'll find a way to stop it."

They looked around them at the seemingly impenetrable gray stone room, and Yume's smile faded into a frown.

"Err…just as soon as we find a way to get out of here…"

* * *

The explosion blew chunks of rock into the air and sprayed dark dirt in a wide arc around its center. Byakuya shielded his eyes with an arm, feeling the earth thud beneath his feet as debris met the ground. All around him, souls screamed in pain and terror. He could hear Kurosaki cursing somewhere to his left.

Byakuya lowered his arm as the dust began to settle and blinked his eyes to clear his sight. Souls, shinigami and Hollows alike, were dark shadows stumbling around in confusion and disorientation. For a brief moment in the new war, enemies stood in the same vicinity and did not attack, too stunned by the eruption of the ground beneath their very feet to realize death was at their side.

"What the hell was that?" Kurosaki demanded, coughing as he inhaled some drifting dust.

"I don't know," the Ishida child replied. Byakuya turned his head and saw the boy standing near his side, his glowing bow in his hands. "I have a feeling we're about to find out, though."

Byakuya's skin prickled suddenly and his head moved back around to stare into the clearing air. Where the eruption had come from was a deep, gaping hole yawning up from the very midst of the earth.

And from that chasm…

A second cero blasted up from its depths. Souls cried out in fear at the sight of the unknown danger, scrambling over each other in a mad effort to get away. Byakuya remained standing right where he was, staring straight into the chasm in front of him.

He could feel her.

Where had once been an impenetrable glass wall, indestructible no matter how he tried to shatter it, now there was nothing in his way. There was just one problem.

Yamazaki's reiatsu wasn't…Yamazaki's.

She came gliding up from the chasm with pushes of her long, thin wings, her cruel green eyes piercing into his own grey ones. His expression did not change, but he could feel a miniscule tremor go through his motionless body as he took in her form. She was still garbed in her shinigami uniform, but there was nothing soul reaper-like about the Hollow's mask that graced her pale forehead. He knew it was a mask the moment he saw it, despite its headdress-like appearance. The animal brutality he associated with it glinted in the girl's vivid eyes and radiated from the upward tilt of her smirk. He did not even need to take in the decaying wings attached to her back or the hungry expression on her face to understand that this being, hovering high in the air before him, was _not_ Yamazaki, no matter how much it looked like her.

"Y…Yamazaki?" Kurosaki said disbelievingly.

"No," Byakuya replied gravely, meeting the Arrancar's gaze unflinchingly. "That is _not_ Yamazaki."  
The Arrancar pulled its lips up into a wide grin to display two perfect rows of white teeth. Byakuya half expected it to growl with hunger.

"Byakuya Kuchiki," it said smoothly. "So nice to finally meet you in person. I've waited for a while now for this moment — I can't tell you how excited I am! Did little Yume-chan please you while you had her? Hmm?"

Byakuya stared stonily into the Arrancar's roiling gaze. He did not reply. The Arrancar let out a short, derisive laugh.

"Well, I wouldn't be here if she had, but that's alright. I just needed someone to put up a front to fool the Seireitei, and she did wonderfully."

"You bastard!" Kurosaki narrowed his eyes and clenched his hand around the hilt of his zanpakutou. "Who are you? What have you done with Yamazaki?"

The Arrancar raised its eyebrows and tilted its head curiously. Byakuya felt a faint pang at the gesture — it was one Yamazaki had given him whenever she couldn't understand him, which was often. To see this…thing mirroring her personal quirks brought dark thoughts into his head.

"Which one?" The Arrancar queried. "Yamazaki one, two, or three? As you can see, I'm currently occupying the first one's body at the moment. Yume and Zazie, on the other hand, are somewhat…indisposed."

"What…are you?" The Quincy boy murmured. "How can you take possession of Yamazaki's body if you're an Arrancar?"

The Arrancar turned its ebony-haired head and studied him with a critical gaze, green orbs flashing in recognition.

"Uryu Ishida," it said. "Heir to the title 'The Last Quincy.' Interesting. Yume calls you…Ishida-kun. Ah, another of her 'friends.' And here I thought you were supposed to be perceptive."

It stretched out its arms with a bright smile. "Well, introductions first. It's rude to do otherwise. Obviously, I'm not Yamazaki. I am called the Ivory Deity. As for _what_ I am…I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough."

The Deity blinked and frowned, staring around at the crowds of spirits and Hollows gathered around before sending her gaze piercing down into the depths of the chasm it hovered over. "And what are you two still doing down there? Come up."

There was a flash of color and sound, one more muted than the other, and two new additions appeared on the surface. Byakuya felt a controlled chill fall down his spine at the sight of Gin and Szayel, the traitor and the Espada, standing not ten feet away from him. Gin looked as smug as ever and flashed him a quick smile, but it was the pink-haired Espada that was disturbing him. He had heard of Szayel in reports from the Inoue girl's rescue, and from what he gleaned, the Octava Espada was not one to stand and stare into the distance with glazed orange-yellow eyes, looking for all the world as if he was several hundred miles away.

Or just not anywhere at all.

"Yer soundin' impatient," Gin said disapprovingly, folding his lanky arms and giving the Deity a pout. "Don't get so riled up about seein' Yume-chan's friends in person. It makes ya sound grumpy."

The Deity scowled and pretended to ignore him, instead turning her heated gaze to Byakuya. He met her gaze impassively and held it. In those aggressive green eyes he could see the spirit struggling to hold something back…something that was fighting awfully hard to break free…

The Deity blinked and brought her head back, gaze flashing with animalistic anger. "Enough," she said curtly. "I didn't come here to talk. I didn't wait in that girl's body just to have a staring contest. This isn't what I want."

She repeated the last sentence and tightened her fist around her zanpakutou's hilt. For a moment Byakuya felt her spiritual pressure shift, becoming lighter, but it was gone so fast he might have been imagining it. Except Byakuya Kuchiki knew he did not imagine things.

The Deity's gaze roved over the gathered spirits, taking them in one by one. She turned her gaze towards Byakuya before moving on to Ishida. A dark grin overtook her youthful face.

"You want to see what I am? What I can do?" she questioned eagerly. She lifted her hand and pointed straight at Szayel. He twitched and lifted his head, dead eyes staring out at everything and nothing, like a marionette on strings.

"Here's what I can do."

Szayel moved faster than his lifeless appearance declared he could. One moment he was standing still, staring at Byakuya, and the next he was behind the captain, a cero glinting in his palm.

Byakuya darted to the side and the cero seared through where he'd been a second before. It continued on through its path and hurtled towards the crowd of spirits, who scattered in the face of destruction. Screams of agony and terror filled the air once more when the cero struck into the midst of the dispersing crowd. Chaos broke out into the area as Hollows and death gods began to fight and flee alike. The momentary lull between sworn enemies was over.

Kurosaki and the others broke apart, weapons brandished, focusing their attention on Szayel. The Octava Espada turned his attention to Ishida with a flick of the Deity's fingers and the Quincy retreated hastily, firing a volley of arrows at his enemy. Szayel disappeared and reappeared directly behind him, and only Ishida's quick reflexes saved him.

Gin clapped his hands together in delight. "How exciting! I take it you're not just gonna run 'em around like that until you catch one, though?"

The Deity pursed her lips and gave her hand a twitch again. Byakuya darted to the side to avoid another of Szayel's ceros.

"No, you're right," she said. "They're much too fast to be run down like that. Szayel! Stop."

Szayel paused in the middle of firing a blast directly at Chad's face and dropped his arm obediently to his side. Byakuya still faced the Espada, but he turned his head to stare coldly at the Deity out of the corner of his eye. She returned the glare.

"I can see only one of them won't kill any of you," she said. "So you can outrun one. What about ten?"

One delicate hand went up, the palm cupped as if catching water. The fingers suddenly stretched and splayed out, pointing straight at the writhing mess of fighting shinigami and Hollows. All of a sudden, ten of the shinigami froze, their backs going stiff, their eyes going wide. Byakuya watched as some of them twitched convulsively, almost as if fighting off an invisible force. Several of them cried out in pain and confusion.

Then, as one, they turned towards the Deity and stolidly walked forward with unseeing eyes. The power of their zanpakutous seemed to dull and dim to Byakuya, smothered beneath the Deity's influence. His hand strayed towards Senbonzakura.

"You see, you fools?" The Deity hissed hatefully, staring at the shinigami under her power with malice and loathing in her eyes. "You are all very talented, I'll admit, but how long can you fight against your own comrades until it all overwhelms you?"

She shifted her gaze and met Kurosaki's, finding horror in his expression and latching onto it greedily. "I can control anyone I want, as long as they're not human and they have reiatsu. I can even take over Hollows like Szayel. So, in a way, this is the best battleground I could possibly have chosen. What better arena to fight in than one with an unlimited supply of weapons that only I can use?"

"That's sick," Kurosaki spat. "You're taking possession of these people just to use them to kill people? What happens when you don't want to use them anymore?"

The Deity waved a hand flippantly. "Oh, I dispose of them, of course. I draw out the spirit particles that make them up and use them to fuel myself. All that's left is a hollow shell."

"I know now what you are. You're not a deity," Ishida said disgustedly. "And you're not an Arrancar. You're a _parasite_."

Gin winced. The Deity's head snapped in Ishida's direction, eyes blazing and mouth twisting into a hate-crazed snarl.

"You'll be the first to go," she vowed. She caught Byakuya's eye and gave him a sickeningly sweet smile. The hate in her eyes did not fade. "And you, dear Bya-kun, will watch."

"No," Byakuya said, drawing Senbonzakura determinedly, "I will not."

The Deity glared. Her free hand clenched and unclenched. "Yes," she insisted quietly, "you will. I can promise you that."

She straightened and gestured haughtily towards the possessed shinigami. They vanished on cue and reappeared in a tight circle around Ishida. The Quincy lifted his bow hurriedly and shot a shinigami in the shoulder before using Hirenkyaku to escape the circle. Byakuya tapped the edge of his sword's hilt disapprovingly. It was apparent the boy didn't want to hurt the attacking Soul Reapers. While Byakuya was loathe to turn against his own kind, they were technically enemies and had to be brought down. He moved in to strike.

A _whoosh _of color and Szayel was blocking his way, a hand on Byakuya's heart. Byakuya could feel the heat of a cero building against his chest and tensed, preparing to shun-po to safety.

"Just wait, Byakuya," the Deity said condescendingly. "It looks like Ishida-kun can hold his own...for the moment."

Byakuya ignored her and leapt away from the danger. Szayel reacted half a second too late and fired the cero. It was so close Byakuya felt it singe the fabric covering his right arm. The Espada was after him in a second and Byakuya released his zanpakutou, nearly catching Szayel unawares. He dodged to the side at the last second, but Byakuya's attack left deep cuts along his chest. Szayel did not react. There was not even a flicker of pain across that pale, expressionless face.

The Deity sighed and shook her head. "How annoying. Gin, can you take care of him for a moment, please?"

Gin flashed her a lazy smirk. "Why don't you?"

The Deity gave him such a malevolent glare that Gin shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Aright, aright, I'll block 'im. Geez, what a bother."

Byakuya, having heard the short discussion, narrowed his eyes and turned to face Gin. The silver-haired man sauntered forward and gave his head a bob.

"Hey, Kuchiki-taichou. Sorry for this, but the Deity says yer botherin' her. Would ya mind steppin' aside for a minute? Just till she makes a show of Ishida-kun?"

"I thought I had made my answer perfectly clear, Ichimaru," Byakuya replied glacially. Gin made a regretful face.

"Eh. Have it yer way."

Byakuya had been prepared, but the traitor almost took him by surprise. He drew his zanpakutou without hesitation and stabbed forth at Byakuya's shoulder. Byakuya moved out of the way and sent his own attack at the silver-haired man. Gin only grinned and shun-po'ed to safety.

A cry of surprise from behind him distracted Byakuya for a moment. He kept his focus pinioned to his opponent and Gin shrugged, holding his hands up harmlessly.

"Looks like Ishida-kun's run into a bit of trouble," he said smugly. Byakuya risked a quick glance towards the Quincy boy. What he saw made him want to grimace in irritation.

Szayel had snuck up behind Ishida and clamped one of his skeletal hands down over his raven-haired head. The Espada's other arm wrapped tightly around the Quincy's thin arms, pinning them to his sides and successfully rendering him helpless.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kurosaki demanded furiously. He tried to break through the line of possessed shinigami that surrounded the two, but they pushed him back. "Let him go! Let go!"

The Deity smirked and leaned back in the air, satisfaction leaking from her very posture. "Go ahead, Szayel," she said with an approving nod.

The wounds from Byakuya's zanpakutou began to glimmer and glow on Szayel's emaciated form. Ishida twisted and tried once more to break away, but suddenly faltered as his bow's image wavered in his hands. He stared at it in confusion for a moment before shuddering and gasping, jerking in Szayel's grasp. Szayel's grip tightened on the Quincy's head.

"Dammit!" Kurosaki spat. He looked about ready to just bowl the shinigami over. "What is he doing?"

"Like I said before," the Deity said exasperatedly, "I can drain the spirit particles from any being with reiatsu. So can those I possess. Ishida-kun's power is based on spirit particles, so he's a prime candidate for healing when my soldiers are wounded. Besides…he called me a parasite. And he was Yume's friend. He's only getting what he deserves."

"That's it!" Kurosaki raised his zanpakutou and took a fighting stance against the shinigami blocking his way. "Chad, Byakuya! Let's take these guys out."

"Gin!" The Deity snapped.

"Yeah, yeah," Gin said waspishly. He stepped forward and raised his zanpakutou again, nearly spearing Kurosaki through his abdomen. In Szayel's deadly grasp, Ishida still vainly fought to escape. His azure eyes flickered momentarily in sudden weariness as Szayel's wounds sealed closed.

"Come on, Ishida!" Kurosaki called, trying to divide his attention between dodging Gin's wild swings and breaking the possessed shinigamis' line. "Stay with us!"

Snarling viciously, the Deity reached up with another hand and pointed into the mass of fleeing shinigami around them. Five more death gods stepped forward, their wills and minds trapped in her grasp.

"Kill them!" She shrieked, eyes gleaming wildly. Byakuya met her gaze for a fraction of a second and hardened his heart. He knew he would have to raise his hand against her. He did not know where Yamazaki was at the moment, not precisely, but he could feel that she was close. And since she didn't seem to be in any immediate danger, he knew he could not go to her. Duty came first, no matter how he wished it could wait.

"Kill them all!"

* * *

_To be continued…_

A/N: Please review! And thanks for reading.

One more thing: there seems to be some confusion about one of my SYNKATID's. When I said Yume was originally a Quincy, I meant she was a Quincy in the _first _version of this story. That version was never published. So she's not a Quincy in TID. She was in Subsisting Pride. Okay? I hope I cleared that up. Sorry for the misleading note.

SYNKATID:

- Byakuya and Yume, in the first draft of this story, were never meant to meet. Their relationship was only decided after chapter nine of TID was finished.

_Next time: Things aren't looking good for Uryu and his friends. The Deity reveals she has more abilities than it appears, Yume and Zazie face their fears, and Orihime stands up for those she loves. All that and more in the chapter twenty-two of The Ivory Deity!_


	22. Twenty Two: Those with Hope

Reviews…ah, how you make me smile…thanks to those who left comments after reading. It boosts this story's confidence and keeps it chugging along, which is especially important since we're so close to the end, I can taste it…

Yuzu: Umm…excuse me, but why am I here?

Me: Oh! You're here to disclaim this story…I'm sorry, I forgot that I brought you on set. Just forget what you heard about tasting the ending.

Yuzu: …Tasting the ending? How do you…?

Me: Never mind. Don't ask.

Yuzu: Oh. Alright. Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach or any of its characters, including me…umm, she doesn't own Ichi-nii or Karin or Ulquiorra or anyone else. She only owns her OC's and the AU plot.

Me: Ichigo, Karin, and Ulquiorra. What a trio. That gives me ideas.

Yuzu: Good ones?

Me: No.

* * *

Twenty-Two

Those with Hope

Orihime had never seen so much blood in her entire life. It covered her hands and splattered the floors of the Fourth, and once when she'd been so nauseated that she had to bite her tongue to keep her breakfast down, blood had been in her mouth and throat too. She hated the coppery, metallic taste, the slick, hot feeling of it against her skin, the dizzying smell that clung to the air like a noxious cloud.

Every person she healed was replaced with another, and they with another, until her mind slipped into a daze of _heal, move on, heal, move on, _and that was all she could think about.

"Healer! I need a healer!"

Those words — it seemed like she'd heard them a hundred times and then a hundred times more, even though that couldn't possibly be. It was the voice, however, that made her look up, and what she saw made her cloud-grey eyes go wide in her head.

"Kuchiki-san!"

Rukia was crouching beside a fallen Soul Reaper's side, her petite hands pressed against a jagged wound in a vain effort to stop the blood from gushing out. Her short hair whipped wildly about her head as she swung her head from side to side, violet-blue eyes desperately seeking help. She latched her gaze onto Orihime, and the taller girl felt a flash of irrational guilt at the relief and hope in Rukia's eyes.

"Oh, Inoue — thank the gods. Here, come here. He needs help."  
Orihime nodded determinedly and finished healing her patient. Her knees protested beneath her as she stood and she almost stumbled, swaying on her feet. She shook her head, condemning her weariness, and pushed her way through the crowd of healers and wounded souls.

_No. Come on, help Kuchiki-san!_

"How bad is it?" she gasped, nearly collapsing back onto her knees by Rukia's side. Her gaze was on the diminutive shinigami, not the wounded death god at her knees.

"He got hit in the ribs," Rukia said, eyes flashing fiercely. "It was out in Rukongai. It's a long way from here, so he's lost a lot of blood. Can you heal him?"

Orihime nodded. She still hadn't looked directly at the patient. "Of course, Kuchiki-san. I'll just…"

She trailed off, her words of reassurance strangled by sudden horror as she finally got a good look at the figure spread out by her feet.

_Ishida-kun…_

It wasn't Uryu. The death god looked so much like him though, that for a moment Orihime hadn't been able to tell that it _wasn't_ him. He had the same longish, blue-black hair, the narrow face, the lean figure….but it wasn't Uryu. She saw that when he opened his eyes and she saw only fear in them, terror and self-pity stark in the brown depths.

Uryu would never allow himself to look so terrified, so weak. Even if the life was about to flee his body, he would hold his head high and meet it with a challenging stare.

_But you only think that because you haven't seem him hurt this badly, _a nasty voice murmured ominously in the back of Orihime's thoughts. _He's out there right now, surrounded by countless enemies, and it could have been him dying at your knees…it still could be…_

"Inoue!"

Rukia's cry startled Orihime from her dark thoughts and she stammered an apology. Her orange shield appeared over the dying shinigami's body and he relaxed instantly, some of the fear leaking out of his gaze. Trying to hold the shield in place, Orihime stared at her blood-stained hands outstretched before her. They were trembling.

She felt Rukia's small hand on her shoulder, and a shudder went through her weary body.

"Inoue," Rukia said solemnly, "are you alright?"

Orihime forced herself to nod. She tried to speak and failed. The image of Uryu, lying on his back and staring up at her with death in his cobalt eyes, was still vivid in her mind.

The shinigami's wound proved to be just as deep and dangerous as it looked. Orihime's arms fell to her sides when she was finished and for a moment all she did was stare at the death god's now-unconscious, bloodless face, her breath coming in teary gulps.

_Ishida-kun…_

Nausea swelled up in her throat and she gagged. Out of reflex, she brought her hands up to cover her mouth. The blood coating her skin only worsened the sickness and she staggered to her feet, shuffling over to a corner of the room that wasn't occupied. She sat with her back to the wall. The world before her, filled with chaos and pain and death, blurred uncontrollably as hot tears poured over her cheeks. Orihime buried her face in her raised knees and sobbed.

Rukia got up from beside the wounded shinigami and knelt at Orihime's side, rubbing her shoulder consolingly. She waited patiently until Orihime's cries had died away.

"It's him, isn't it?" she asked quietly. Orihime lifted her head and stared at Rukia with reddened eyes.

"He's out there with only his friends to protect him," she said in a strangled voice. "He could…he could end up like that shinigami so easily…"

Rukia nodded and closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, they gleamed with a resolute light.

"I could go help him," she said. "He's really not that hard to track."

Orihime blinked through her tears in surprise. "H-he's not?"

Rukia's puzzled stare was all she needed to know who the tiny shinigami had thought she meant. "No. I mean, he's like a volcano or a waterfall or something — you can't exactly cover him up. Ichigo's not exactly subtle about concealing his reiatsu."

"Oh." Orihime looked past Rukia's shoulder, her thoughts a confused mess.

When had she started replacing Ichigo with Uryu? When had she started thinking only of the Quincy first, and not the shinigami representative?

And why…?

_Because you love him._

Orihime's world went inside-out. Rukia reached out and steadied her, and it was only then that Orihime realized she'd almost fallen over. She could hear Rukia speaking, but the worried words weren't making any sense.

_You love him. _She didn't know where the words had come from or why they'd only come now, when she was so in danger of losing him. She only knew, somehow, that they were true.

_You love — no, _she corrected herself, I_ love him. I love him. I do._

"I love him," she whispered aloud, trying it on her tongue, tasting the words. She felt a shiver go down her back. They felt so…right. Like something she'd been missing for what felt like forever, and had finally, finally found.

"I love him," Orihime said again, her voice growing in strength and hope. "I-I _love_ him. I really…I really do. _I love him_."

Something crossed Rukia's expression for an instant, but it was gone too fast for Orihime to snare, and she was too dazed to even try.

"I'm glad you do, Inoue," Rukia said quietly. "I'm sure Ichigo feels the same —"

"No, no!" Orihime protested. She gripped Rukia's shoulders and gave her a bright smile. The look on Rukia's face spoke volumes about her sudden mood swing, but Orihime was too giddy to care.

"Not Kurosaki-kun," she said. "_Ishida_-kun."

"Ish…Ishida?" Rukia repeated incredulously. "Really? I mean…since when?"

"I…" Orihime paused and frowned, releasing Rukia's shoulders. "I don't know. I think I just realized it right now, but I don't think I just decided I love him. It was earlier than this."

She filled her lungs with bloodstained air, winced at the smell, and got to her feet. "I can't stay here," she said firmly. "I have to go help him, Kuchiki-san. You can understand, right? I can't sit by in the safe zone. Not when he's in trouble. Kuchiki-san…this is something I have to do. If you'll help me…I need to get to Rukongai."

Rukia remained where she was, staring up at Orihime as she stood above her. Then she bowed and shook her head, huffed a short sigh, and rose.

"You know the Seireitei's gates close in less than six minutes," she said carefully. Orihime didn't even let a hint of hesitation enter her gaze. She set her jaw and nodded shortly.

"I know."

Rukia raised her eyebrows. "Then you really do mean it. Alright, Inoue. If you're that determined…I'll get you to Rukongai."

* * *

"Crap! Ishida, _duck_!"

Pinned and rendered immobile by Szayel's unrelenting grasp, Uryu didn't even have time to obey Ichigo's sharp order. Szayel dropped him in an instant and he crumpled to the ground. Something swept the space just above his scalp as he fell and he covered the back of his head with his hands, pressing himself into the dirt.

_Squelch. _Blood spattered his white uniform, but he felt no pain other than the paralyzing weakness that filled his body. The blood wasn't his.

"Don't stay down!" Ichigo barked, cutting down a charging shinigami and making his way towards Uryu. "Get up!"

"I wasn't about to lie helpless on the ground, Kurosaki," Uryu said tartly. He lifted his head wearily and rolled clumsily to his knees. Szayel's parasitic attack had drained him of much of his energy and he was having trouble controlling his motions.

Instinct shrieked a warning to him and he jerked to the side, barely missing Szayel's spastically-grasping hands. The Espada's arm had been cut off near his shoulder by an attacking shinigami who'd no doubt been aiming for Uryu's head.

Uryu fumbled to raise his Quincy bow. His fingers shook and his vision blurred, and to his frustration it took two tries to form a shaky semblance of his spirit-weapon. He swiftly drew an arrow and fired without hesitation.

The arrow entered through Szayel's chest and exited with enough force to leave a gaping hole in his torso. No pain or shock flickered through the Espada's dead expression. He blinked once, slowly, met Uryu's eye, and slowly began to _collapse in upon himself_.

Uryu's lip curled in disgust and confusion and he took a wary step back. Was this another of the Deity's tricks? Szayel's form was glowing as Uryu's had only moments before, spirit particles breaking away from his white-clad body and drifting into the open air. Soon Szayel's entire body had shriveled up on itself, particles hovering above the empty husk that was left behind.

"It's not the prettiest procedure, I'll admit," a girl's voice said in his ear, "but it works wonders for a weary Arrancar."

Uryu flinched and spun around, coming face-to-face with the Deity. She stood motionless, the dreadful aura surrounding her seeming to push the chaos away from them. Combatants flowed around them, forming a circle with Uryu and the Deity in the middle. Uryu's numb mind buzzed with confused thoughts.

_How did she sneak up on me like that? How could I not have noticed her coming?_

"It's not that hard to fool people, you know," the Deity said coldly. She met his gaze and nodded. "And I don't need to read minds to know what most people think, so close your mouth."

Uryu narrowed his eyes. "The possessed shinigami. Are they going to end up like Szayel?"

The Deity tilted her head. "Yes."

"And what if we kill you before you can take the life out of them?"

Her eyes flashed with mirth and she threw Setsuna's head back, practically shaking with malicious laughter. "You! Kill _me_?" she repeated hysterically. "Don't be so arrogant, Ishida-kun. Here, see this?"

She lifted a hand and Szayel's essence drifted towards her. The particles meshed together with her flesh and she glowed brightly for a moment. Uryu thought he saw her expression fall for a moment, but when the light died away she was smirking.

"I just killed Szayel Aporro Grantz. But you see, his fate was sealed the minute he came under my power. He, like these shinigami" — she gestured vaguely to the surrounding, possessed death gods fighting his friends — "had no hope of escape when I bent him to my will. Even if I am destroyed, they will die. There's no future for these souls. And when they die, they won't be reincarnated. That's the trick to me, see. I take their souls…and use them to recreate myself. Like a phoenix. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Uryu hissed angrily. He lifted his bow and aimed an arrow at her head. "I understand that you're nothing more than a sick monster who uses others to save her own skin. You make me sick."

"How original," the Deity sneered. "But remember, Ishida-kun, I'm the one who has the upper hand, not you, and certainly not your pathetic little friends. Oh, do put that away! It's not going to hurt me. I only let you shoot Szayel because I needed his essence. No, no, Ishida-kun, you can't even touch me. And I'll show you why."

Up her hands went again, almost like a composer's about to strike the first command. The possessed shinigami around them froze. Ichigo and the others held their breath.

"Shikai," the Deity said.

The resulting burst of power from the group of shinigami as they simultaneously released their shikai's was enough to make Uryu stagger. He heard Byakuya releasing his bankai along with Ichigo as they turned to face the tide of shikai-wielding shinigami looking to cut their lives short. Somewhere in the confusion, Gin was laughing.

And still, the area around Uryu and the Deity remained empty.

"Want to hear a story?" the Deity asked cordially. "No? Too bad. Sit tight, Ishida-kun. You're about to get the answers to all your questions."

* * *

Locked in an inescapable room with her friends fighting for their lives high above her, Yume yelled in frustration and kicked the wall with her foot.

Which, she discovered, wasn't very helpful.

"That's not helping," Zazie observed as Yume hopped on one foot. She earned herself a withering look.

"Yeah, I noticed," Yume huffed, "but what else am I supposed to do?"

Zazie moved her shoulders. "I don't know. It's not like we have reiatsu, and even if we did, this room's walls block spiritual energy if it tries to get through."

Yume stopped hopping and stared at her triplet in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"I paid attention when Kurotsuchi-san brought us in this morning."

"Oh. I guess paying attention helps, huh?"

"Usually."

"Sarcasm noted," Yume said. She huffed her breath again and plopped herself onto the floor, leaning back on her arms and giving the long wall before her a doleful look.

"So I get my motivation," she said, "and I'm all willing to risk my skin to go up there and take down the Deity without any idea of how I'm gonna do it. Bya-kun and the others are fightin' for their lives, and we can't help them because we're stuck down here. I thought we were lucky!"

"If we were lucky," Zazie said impassively, "we wouldn't be dead in the first place."

"Oh. I hate how you're so on top of everything today."

Zazie did not get a chance to reply. Before either girl could react, a hulking, familiar presence had appeared at their backs and towered over them. Yume stiffened and slowly turned her head…and found herself staring right into the eye-less gaze of Skinner.

She was up on her feet with a yelp and halfway across the room before Skinner could so much as lift a talon.

"Zazie! Run, Zazie!" Her sister still hadn't moved from where she was and stood looking up at Skinner, a curious expression on her face. Yume skidded to a halt.

"Zazie!" Yume hissed again. "What are you doing?"

Zazie blinked and met her gaze. "Do you feel that, Nee-chan?"

"Feel what? The bloodlust radiating off of him? Yeah, I feel it!"

"No, no. Not the bloodlust. He's…different. Look at him, Nee-chan. He's not attacking me."

Sure enough, Skinner remained crouching where he was, his shoulders hunched up around his thin neck. Yume edged forward, wrinkling her nose in confusion. She had never seen him so…still.

"I feel…" Zazie closed her eyes and shuddered, turning her head away from Skinner.

"Feel what?" Yume asked again, coming closer against her better judgment. She kept her gaze latched onto Skinner as she neared him.

Zazie opened her eyes again and retreated fearfully. "Aizen."

Yume froze again. Skinner shifted then, his joints creaking as if he hadn't moved in hundreds of years. He rotated to face Yume. She shivered at the dull stare he gave her…almost as if he didn't see her at all.

"Y…you're supposed to be dead," she told him. "I saw you die. Dono…Gin killed you. He made me watch and he killed you because Aizen sent you. How are you still here?"

Skinner did not reply. Instead, he straightened and swiveled around again to face Zazie. Zazie squeaked and scampered out of the way, diving for her sister, but Skinner did not follow her. He tensed his legs and leaned towards the wall, looking like he was preparing to ram it head on…

Yume's eyes widened and she instinctively raised her hands to ward off a blow. "Whoa, whoa —!"

Skinner bolted forward. He didn't ram the wall head-on as Yume expected, but rather disappeared and reappeared on the observatory balcony overlooking the long room. Yume lowered her arms, peering up at him confusedly.

"What are you doing?" she whispered under her breath.

The gaunt Hollow lifted one talon and reached out to press a button on the balcony's keyboard. There was the sound of shifting gears somewhere in the room, and a metal staircase unfolded from the glass-walled balcony to end in front of Yume and Zazie.

They lifted their astonished gazes to Skinner as part of the glass wall lifted to provide an escape rout. The Hollow did not say or do anything more; one moment he was there, staring wordlessly at them, and the next he was gone again.

Yume started and looked around wildly. "Wh—where'd he go?!"  
"I…I think he was an illusion," Zazie said quietly.

"An illusion! Could an illusion do _that_?" Yume pointed at the staircase in front of them.

"Not just any illusion," Zazie clarified. "One of Aizen's. He always was."

"But…"

"Think about it, Nee-chan. He only appeared after we broke away from Aizen and Gin. After that the only time we'd ever see him was when he was chasing us. We didn't hear anything about a Hollow like him just roaming around, looking for random prey like a Hollow usually does. It would just be Aizen's style — create an enemy for your enemy, have that creature hound your enemy, and use it to test your traitor's loyalty. It would be just like him. And he…he smells of Aizen. I just know he's one of Aizen's illusions."

"But then…how did…why would Aizen send someone to let us go?" Yume rubbed her arms vigorously. "What if he knows we're in a hopeless situation and only wants to speed up our deaths?"

"I don't think so, Nee-chan." Zazie strode forward purposefully, her bare feet taking the metal steps one by one. Yume followed her reluctantly.

"Think," Zazie said. "He must know Gin is a traitor by now. With the Deity on Gin's side, they both pose a big threat to him, even if the Deity does burn itself out again. It'll come back to get him sometime in the future. He must…Aizen must think we can take the Deity. He must know we'll beat it. That's why he's letting us out. So we can beat it."

They crossed the top of the stairs and passed into the balcony. Yume sighed and nodded, lowering her arms.

"I hope you're right," she said. "I _really _hope you're right. Cause if Aizen thinks we can do it, much as I hate to admit it, then we really can. Aizen's always right."

"We just have to find a way," Zazie said firmly. She was looking past the doorway leading off the balcony, into the room where Mayuri experimented on his subjects.

"Hey," Yume said with a weak smile as she led the way out of the room, "maybe it'll just hit us, like a divine message or something like that. Maybe it'll be like something we know we have to do. Or something."

The sisters crossed into the lab room. Their gazes were drawn to the gaping hole in the ceiling, letting hot sunlight spill into the room. Yume scoured the room for any sign of Mayuri or Nemu. She found none.

"They must have left when the Deity broke loose," Zazie said, following Yume's train of thought. "Kurotsuchi-san is very smart. He must have been gone long before we woke up."

"For his sake, I hope so," Yume murmured sadly. "I'd hate to see something bad happen to him."

Zazie blinked at her in surprise, then wry disappointment. "You really do forgive too easily, you know that?"

"Forgive Kurotsuchi-kun? Oh, no. I haven't forgiven him yet. I just worry for Nemu-chan. He's her father, you know, and if something happens to him, who does she have left?"

"Ah."

"Yeah. So I hope he runs long and hard and didn't leave any trace of reiatsu behind."

Zazie took in a shuddering breath and reached for her sister's hand. Yume obliged and squeezed reassuringly.

"Ready?" Zazie whispered.

Yume nodded, her gaze already moving to a towering ladder propped up against the farthest wall.

"Yes," she replied. "I really hope so."

* * *

A/N: Please review.

SYNKATID:

- Yume originally faced Skinner off and lost in a dark alleyway. Uryu was conveniently there to help here. How unoriginal.

_Next time: The battle draws to an end. Byakuya is forced to choose between duty and friendship, Uryu and Orihime reunite, and Yume and Zazie face the Deity on their own in the penultimate chapter of The Ivory Deity: Chapter Twenty-Three, Sinner's Justice!_


	23. Twenty Three: Sinner's Justice

I _live._

It has been about a year and a half since I first started The Ivory Deity, and a lot of things have changed. For one, I started losing interest in the Bleach fandom. Schoolwork has become more important than ever as I near the end of my high school career, not to mention the original works I've been struggling with. And my idea of "quality writing" changed quite a bit, too. I looked over the story, found that I really could have done better, and believe you me, that's enough to discourage an author through and through. The story was never in any danger of being abandoned, just set aside for a very long time. And theeennn...I noticed some people still hold an interest in this thing. I re-read the more recent chapters and realized that, really, what I'd written was not my best, but it wasn't too horrible, either. I really wanted to finish this story.

So here I am, presenting you with the twenty-third chapter of The Ivory Deity. Thanks go to those couple of people who were kind enough to prod me and wake me up. And **Blackrose2005...**the series of "betch slapping" really snapped me out of it X). So thanks!

Disclaimer: I'll do it myself, let you get to reading, as this is the longest chapter in this story. I, Kimsa Ki-Lurria, do not own Bleach or any of its characters. I own only this story's plot and my various OC's. Happy reading.

* * *

Twenty-Three

Sinner's Justice

"Once upon a time!"

Uryu's body bent backwards at an angle so sharp that the movement made pain singe his tailbone. The Deity's sword passed just centimeters from his nose. For a moment, so close to death, he saw his shocked expression mirrored back at him in the monster's blade.

That was the second time he'd had to duck like that. He gritted his teeth and darted away, just as the Deity's zanpakutou bit into the ground he'd been standing on a second before. At his waist, his fingers brushed against cool metal. A tentative idea entered his mind, and on impulse, he drew Seele Schneider. The Deity didn't acknowledge his extra weapon.

"There were three little human girls named Setsuna, Yume, and Zazie." The Deity gave him a horrible grin and twirled her sword in her lithe fingers, leaning forward in anticipation. Uryu drew an arrow, released it, and the Deity turned ever-so-slightly to the side. The arrow flew harmlessly past.

"They didn't have a perfect life, but they were happy," she continued. Uryu nimbly dodged a lethal hit and fired another arrow. It missed and pierced one of the Deity's possessed shinigami in the back.

The Deity spun, raised her eyebrows in mild surprise, and turned back to glare disapprovingly at the Quincy archer. "Their parents were good parents, but not very affectionate. The sisters found solace in each others' company, so you can imagine that they were incredibly close."

Disgust and anger flashed through him. "You tore them apart," Uryu retorted. The Deity rolled her eyes.

"Stop interrupting. As I was saying, the triplets were very close, even if they did have arguments every now and then. Then, one day, the sisters went out for a day on their own. It was sunny but not very warm, and so it darkened quickly."

She moved too fast for Uryu to fully escape and he winced as her zanpakutou nicked his cheek. "Almost got you that time," she said. "Be faster on your feet or I'll have to find someone else to tell my story to."

Uryu gritted his teeth and fired a volley of arrows in reply. The Deity grimaced and motioned sharply with one hand, and suddenly a row of shinigami were standing between her and the lethal projectiles. Uryu's eyes went wide as they fell like bowling pins beneath his aim. The Deity smirked at him and wordlessly absorbed the shinigamis' spirit particles.

He blinked in surprise at the sudden change in her appearance. As soon as she took in the particles, her skin seemed to glow with a permanent inner light, and her strong countenance drooped as her sword arm trembled and dark rings appeared beneath her green eyes.

_Does it take more energy from her to absorb those particles than they give her? _He wondered. The Deity didn't offer an answer his unspoken question, instead continuing with her story.

"The sisters went to a shopping center and, deciding they didn't wish to get caught in human traffic as the center closed, slipped out the back way. That's when the Hollows came. They sensed Setsuna's power and came for her like crows to a carcass. So the Hollows set upon the sisters and tore…them…apart."

She fairly clapped her hands in delight at the look of outrage on Uryu's face. "And I mean literally! They weren't very gentle at all. Zazie lost her legs before she died and Yume, well…Yume didn't fare too well with a gash spanning the width of her shoulder to her hip. Those Hollows ripped through Setsuna's sisters to get to her. I suppose they planned to split her evenly between them; imagine that! Hollows, sharing a meal? Odd, I know, but who knows what was going through their heads?"

"I'd think that you would," Uryu spat, "seeing as you're one of them."

The Deity shook her head and aimed a strike at his legs. He leapt over the blow easily and moved away, trailing something behind his back. The Deity didn't seem to notice; she was too absorbed in her own voice.

"I'm nothing like those animals. I can play with a Quincy like a cat with a mouse. I doubt they could. And anyway, you're interrupting again. Didn't your parents ever tell you that's a very rude thing to do?"

Uryu did not respond. He took a chance and flicked his gaze briefly to the sides of the fighting going on around them. Ichigo and the others wove in and out of the melee in flashes of black and bright color, mowing down possessed shinigami in their path. The Deity did not even seem to be consciously overtaking the death gods' spirits now. As soon as one fell, another would take its place, and the fallen shinigami's spirit particles would drift towards the Deity. She absorbed them like a sponge would water, and with every of her minions that fell, she appeared more and more fragile, though still endlessly powerful at the same time. It made no logical sense, and Uryu got the idea that if they didn't stop her soon, something much worse than the birth of a legion of possessed, hostile shinigami would happen.

The Deity was oblivious to his inner broodings. She continued her morbid fairytale with a sadistic enthusiasm and dark sense of amusement that made his hair stand on end.

"So they tried to kill Setsuna too, but they took their time with it," the Deity told him. "She lay on the ground, the life seeping out of her, and that was when she summoned me. That was when she, overtaken with rage and grief and a need for vengeance, brought me into existence. See what revenge does to you, Ishida-kun? Oops, you missed again!"

Uryu's arm trembled imperceptibly. No matter how frail she was beginning to appear, the Deity evaded each of his attacks with such an ease that she never had to take more than two steps back. He, on the other hand, was starting to feel the effects of repeated failure to land a direct hit. His body ached morosely with the strain brought on by the recent grueling days. Brushing a sweat-coated lock of hair from his eyes, he scanned the surrounding bloodshed for allies. Where was the backup when you needed it?

But no matter. His plan was almost complete as it was. All he needed to do was keep her attention on herself and not on what he had behind his back. He did not have any illusions about a possible fatality, but if he could wound her just enough, he was sure her own greed for stolen power would bring her down…

The Deity snapped her fingers loudly in his face to get his attention. Uryu blinked, all weariness forced to the back of his mind, and raised his weapon again in defense. But the Deity wasn't interested in attacking him — at least, not at the moment. She was much keener on continuing the story, a leery smile on her lips as she recounted her host's death.

"So I obliged and gladly took over. I consumed the Hollows and retreated to let Setsuna take over again. And when she accidentally swallowed her sisters' spirits whole, well…I admit that was a minor setback, but as you can see, I've managed to overcome it."

The ebony-haired Arrancar paused for a moment and stood hefting her zanpakutou thoughtfully in her hands. She stared somewhere past Uryu's shoulder, not seeming to fully notice him. When she spoke, it sounded like her words were directed back at herself.

"And then she ran into Dono-san, and he took us in and taught us how to fight. Remember how Yume always knew everything about the shinigami of the Seireitei? How she knew things about the captains that she shouldn't have? Dono-san taught us how to sift through the most guarded of enemy ranks without being detected. He showed us how to sit among the most dangerous warriors in the Spirit World and observe for hours and days and never, not once, get caught. That's what you're up against, Ishida-kun. And you think you can _defeat_ us? You think you and your little human friends can beat me?"

"Everyone has a fatal flaw," Uryu said quietly. He stepped back, and it was only then that the Deity noticed the pentagram he'd drawn with spirit particles trapped in Seele Schneider's hilt.

"Yours is your arrogance and its ability to blind you to even the most blatant of threats." Uryu's hand was poised at one of the corners of the pentagram, the remaining drop waiting to be spilled. The Deity watched his hand with a sort of horrified fascination. Her vivid eyes lifted to meet his and look past him — and she smiled.

Cold metal bit the back of his neck. A sinuous voice slid against his ears, quiet and threatening.

"And your flaw's that yer too weak to even notice when I sneak up behind ya."

He didn't dare move. Gin drove the tip of his zanpakutou harder against Uryu's skin and he restrained a twitch. The silver-haired man had only to utter a command, turning his sword into a spear, and it would all be over for him.

"You might want ta put that away, kiddo," Gin suggested, reaching down a hand to grip Uryu's wrist meaningfully. Uryu swallowed and straightened the tube before capping it and stowing it away. The Deity relaxed visibly.

"Your timing is impeccable, as usual, Dono-san," she breathed.

"I can't let my star pupil be taken down by some snot-nosed Quincy, now, can I?" Gin chuckled and tightened his grip on Uryu's wrist. "Are you not done playin' with 'im or should I finish 'im off?"

The Deity met Uryu's gaze again and narrowed her eyes. "No," she said quietly. "Just wait one minute. Then we can kill him. I feel someone else coming — two people, to be exact."

"Two?" Gin shifted, and Uryu fairly felt him smile. "Oh, I see. I feel 'em now."

_What…?_

Then, he felt them. He detected and recognized the spiritual signatures in an instant, feeling them rushing towards his position with all the speed of one of his arrows. Paralyzing dread seeped into his heart.

_No._

"Here they are!" Gin sang happily.

_NO._

Orihime and Rukia appeared with a flash of color and wind within the pentagram, not six feet away from the Deity. Orihime didn't seem to notice the Arrancar at first. Her gaze flew to Uryu, her warm eyes going bright with delight.

"Ish—"

Her eyes landed on Gin and the sword pressed to the back of Uryu's neck. She went stiff with shock and horror.

"No!" she cried.

"Okay, Dono-san," the Deity said with a flippant wave of her hand.

Uryu felt Gin tense behind him. "Inoue-san, _run_!"

"Shoot —"

A wave of sakura petals surged forward from the midst of the battle surrounding them and roared towards Gin and Uryu. Uryu felt the blade disappear from his neck and vanished, reappearing in an instant at Orihime's side. He grabbed her wrist and Rukia's arm and used Hirenkyaku to move them away from the Deity, outside of the pentagram.

Gin's smile had disappeared from his angular face and he fought hard to keep ahead of Byakuya's swarm of petal blades, sending Shinsō to stab at the deadly captain. Byakuya was relentless. He did not cease his attack until Gin had been cut by the edge of a column of blades. Gin staggered back, startled, bright blood coursing down his shoulder.

"Ishida-kun, are you alright?" Orihime asked breathily. He nodded and released his grip on her wrist and Rukia's arm.

"You should not have come here," he said quietly, concern for her overcoming his happiness at seeing her again. "You could be hurt."

Her bright eyes dimmed. "I needed to see you. I needed to know you were all right."

Uryu did not know what to say to that. He was spared from responding by the Deity, whose gaze had suddenly turned as bloodthirsty and menacing as the lethal zanpakutou clutched in her hand.

"Byakuya Kuchiki," she hissed. Controlled fury and hate simmered beneath the glacial surface of her restraint. "Must you always get in my way?"

Byakuya responded by shooting a column of blades at her head. In an instant another row of possessed shinigami had appeared in front of the Deity. The column hit them head-on and Uryu heard Orihime gasp as blood rushed forth to coat the ground. The shinigami fell.

The Deity reached out her hand again and took in the shinigamis' remaining particles. Again Uryu saw her skin begin to glow even more, but it was obvious now that the effort of taking in so much power had tired her. She was trembling almost to the point of shaking with strain, and he thought he saw her begin to sway.

"Fine," she whispered. "If that's how you want it…you cease to amuse to me. Die."

Then she lifted a hand, pointing straight at Byakuya's heart, and clenched her fingers into a fist.

Byakuya's dark eyes went wide. His entire body shuddered as if wracked with an electrical current. Uryu felt his reiatsu signature waver and sputter under the force of the Deity's control, dimming and fading as with every fleeting second he fell deeper and deeper into the Arrancar's inescapable clutches…he wasn't strong enough…he was goin to give in…

The Deity's lips stretched up in a malicious grin as Byakuya finally swayed. "I win," she sneered.

A flash of white behind the Deity. A girl let out a high-pitched, furious cry, lifted the heavy object in her hands, and brought it down hard on the back of the Deity's head.

The Deity yelped in pain and crumpled to her knees, clutching her temples. Yume stood breathing heavily over the Arrancar's whimpering form, her blue eyes livid with adrenaline. She lowered the thick glass jar in her hands and grinned tiredly.

"Woah," she said. "It worked!"

The Deity's control over Byakuya slipped and fell away, leaving the dark-haired captain pale and dazed-looking. His fading reiatsu hummed uncertainly for a moment and then flared back up to its original strength.

"Bya-kun!" The weariness in Yume's eyes vanished, pushed out and replaced by relieved joy. At her side, her sister Zazie blinked down at the hissing Deity without emotion.

Byakuya stared at Yume with a sort of relieved disbelief. "Yamazaki…"

Yume beamed at him. "Didn't you miss me?"

A rolling, feral growl rose from the Deity's throat, making Yume and her sister jump. In an instant the Arrancar was on her feet, sword brandished at the girl's exposed throat.

"Yume, Yume, Yume," she sighed admonishingly with a shake of Setsuna's head, "what. are. you. _doing_?"

Yume blinked at her with wide eyes. "Helping Bya-kun."

"Oh, really?" The Deity's lips lifted in a malicious smile. "Why don't you just go back down into the lab and wait until I'm finished, hmm? You're a mere distraction and an annoyance. It's not like you could actually do me harm."

Yume lifted the jar for the Deity to see. "Actually," she said decisively, a determined glint in her eyes as she met the Arrancar's gaze, "this worked pretty well so far."

The Deity didn't hesitate a second longer. Her sword came up and darted for Yume's throat. There was a wave of sound and wind, and suddenly Byakuya was blocking the Arrancar's advance, Yume pushed protectively behind him, the glass jar rolling in the dirt. The Deity snarled in rage and hate, and Byakuya quickly encircled both Yume and Zazie in one long arm before shun-po'ing to safety.

"Cowards," the Deity spat. Uryu stiffened as her gaze passed over him, his hands reaching for Seele Schneider. Orihime did not flinch under the Deity's hatred, and he felt his chest fill with pride.

Gin stalked over to the Deity's side, his perpetual smile stretching his mouth wide. He did not acknowledge the wound that made blood run down his arm.

It seemed as if all the noise in the world had simply come to a stop, and reality ceased to exist beyond their circle. Shinigami and Hollows still battled past the circle's confines, but Uryu realized with a shock that it was as if the sounds of death and struggle had been drowned out into nonexistence by the tension in the air. He, Rukia, Orhime, Byakuya and Yume and Zazie stood facing Gin and the Deity in the eye of a hurricane of spiritual power. It seemed so quiet, he thought he could hear his comrades' every breath.

"Byakuya-kun." Yume's whisper sounded like a shout in the silence. Uryu immediately let his gaze fly to the Deity and Gin to gauge their reaction, but they stood as still as ever. He blinked in confusion. Couldn't they hear her speaking? What was going on?

"Yes, Yamazaki?" Byakuya asked just as quietly.

Yume took in a long, shuddering breath and squeezed the captain's forearm. Her bright eyes were unexpectedly solemn. "Do you trust me?"

Byakuya turned his head to stare at her, conflicting emotions swirling in his grey eyes. A small line appeared between his eyebrows, and Uryu thought for a brief, despairing second that he was going to say no.

"…Yes," Byakuya finally said.

"Then you'll trust me enough to listen to me, when the time comes?"

There was a sense of finality in the words that Uryu did not like at all. His nerves screamed at Byakuya to refuse, to tell Yume that she was making a mistake. _Don't let her! Whatever it is she's going to do, don't you dare let her do it!_

He tried to shout it out, but his mouth only opened and closed soundlessly. _What is this…? _He wondered. Gin and the Deity were still in the position they'd been seconds ago. Uryu's eyes moved around their circle. Outside of their silent haven, the war continued. Within, it seemed as if time itself had stopped. It didn't even look like anyone was breathing.

Byakuya was still staring at Yume, a curiously strained look crossing his impassive face. He understood.

"Yes, Yamazaki."

And Yume smiled brilliantly up at him, the most thankful gesture Uryu had ever seen her make.

"Thank you, Bya-kun," she said.

Uryu was almost startled when she turned her gaze to him. Byakuya had frozen in place, his eyes still locked on Yume. He opened his mouth, and found that he could talk.

"Yamazaki-san, what is this?" he asked, gesturing to the lack of life around them. "Are you doing this?"

Yume grinned and shook her head as if sharing with him a very juicy secret. "Nope!" she whispered gleefully. "Not me."

"Then…" he paused and turned his head to look at the Deity. Besides his own and Yume's, her reiatsu was the only one that registered to his senses. But it was not the foul, rotted spiritual signature that belonged to the Arrancar…this one was sharper, crisper, more cutting and stern. Purer, almost.

Uryu turned back to Yume and examined her eager face.

"…Setsuna-san?" he ventured. _But how?_

Yume's wild grin calmed itself into a more controlled smile. "You've always been really smart, Ishida-kun. And you're my friend, right?"

She was making him nervous. "Of course."

"Then you'll help me out when I need you?"

There it was, the same sense of dreaded finality that he had detected in her voice when she'd spoken to Byakuya. "Yamazaki-san, what are you going to…?"

"Ishida-kun. I need to know if I can count on you."

He sighed and closed his eyes briefly, feeling as if he was signing a death warrant. "Yeah," he said. "You can count on me, Yamazaki-san."

Her breath exited her body in a _whoosh_, and she dipped her head in gratitude. "I knew I could, Ishida-kun. When…when I ask you to, I want you to ignite this pentagram. No matter who's inside it. Got it?"

Uryu could only stare at her in horror. "You're not going to…"

"I should have been put to rest a long, long time ago," Yume murmured sadly. "I should've passed already. Instead, I'm still here, and see what it's done to people's lives?"

She caught sight of his expression and gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Oh, don't worry, Ishida-kun. I'm not feeling suicidal or anything. I'm just saying. Maybe I'm not the only one who needs to pass. Maybe…a lot of these people — Gin, the Deity, Aizen, the Arrancar — need to go too. And we're gonna help them. I just need you to be there. Even if it means putting me in danger."

Uryu looked at her for a very long moment, gauging whether or not she was telling the truth when she said she didn't plan on dying again. He could see nothing but trust and determination in her eyes, though, and he finally allowed himself to nod.

Yume's smile faltered. Before he could say anything, she was turning away, brushing past Byakuya with Zazie walking at her side, and Uryu was trapped by the same immobility that had gripped him before. His eyes followed Yume's foot as it came dangerously close to the edge of the pentagram, and she lifted it and then —

Everything snapped back into focus. The Deity was shrieking, the molting feathers on her ragged wings shuddering as she jerked her sword up to meet Yume. Gin grinned and lunged towards Zazie, teeth and weapon bared.

One instant, Yume and Zazie were standing near the edge of the pentagram, and the next they were gone. They appeared at the Deity's side in less than the time it took Uryu to blink. Both sisters lunged forward in tandem, hands reaching out to grip the Deity's forearms —

A wave of spiritual pressure exploded outwards from the three girls. Uryu found himself staggering back onto his heels. Gin, who had been right next to the Deity when the explosion had happened, had been knocked flat onto his back.

And where the Deity, Yume, and Zazie had once stood, there was nothing but dust and reiatsu.

* * *

_Bells._

_Three of them, small and perfect, resting in the pink palm of her hand. Setsuna looked up to stare into the face of death, and wrinkled her forehead in confusion._

"_Bells, Aizen-sama?"_

_Aizen smiled, thin lips twisted into a cruel mockery of kindness, and leaned forward to tap the side of her raven-haired head._

"_To control your more…animalistic…urges," he said silkily._

_She accepted the bells without question, only fully realizing later what they were for. One did not refuse a gift from death._

_She had never asked why Aizen would want her to control the Deity._

* * *

_He is afraid…_

Yume's feet slammed back into place so suddenly, she lost her footing and tumbled head over heels down a sandy dune, tossing white grains around her as she went.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow —"

The blue-eyed girl felt herself collide with something and came to an abrupt stop. Spitting long hair and sand out of her mouth, she followed the pair of thin legs she'd crashed into and stared up into Zazie's concerned face. She grinned goofily.

"Sorry."

Zazie blinked and stared in the direction Yume had come from. Yume lifted herself and shook the sand from her clothes before looking around.

The endless sands of Hueco Mundo had not changed at all since she had last visited them. Countless white dunes rolled in all directions, broken occasionally by the skeleton of a tree or flat patch. The abysmal sky stretched up in an eternity of pure blackness — even the deadened glow of the full moon could do nothing to break its shadow.

Las Noches was nowhere in sight.

Yume felt shivers go up her arms and rubbed them for warmth that would not come.

"What," a petulant voice said, "is happening?"

Yume blinked. The Deity!

She whirled around to see the sneering Arrancar perched on the top of the dune she had just fallen from. The Deity held her sister's body in a crouch, green eyes blazing with inner fury. Setsuna's form fairly shook with rage.

"Why am I here?" The Deity snapped, scanning the dismal landscape that had been its home. _Their _home.

_No, _Yume thought to herself. _This was never my home._

"Setsuna," she called. The Deity's head whipped back towards her, a vicious snarl bared on Setsuna's bloodless face. Yume could see her hands tremble with fatigue. Their enemy was weak from holding too much power. Very soon, like a dam, its walls would break under the pressure and it would destroy itself. Yume wasn't going to let it retake form this time. But to do that, she needed Setsuna, and to free Setsuna, she needed to spot a weakness.

And the Deity was vulnerable.

"We know you're in there," she said. "Come on out!"

The Deity twitched, panic flaring in its hate-crazed eyes. It attempted to straighten Setsuna's form and took an unsteady step down the dune.

"Shut up, Yume," it snarled. "Or I will _kill_ you."

"Ooh!" Yume's hands jumped to her mouth in a fake gesture of absolute, wide-eyed horror. Then she paused and tilted her head, scrutinizing the Deity as it struggled to keep its balance. "But…how are you gonna do that, when you can barely stand?"

The Deity's hair stood on end, its rotting wings going rigid with anger. "I have more power than you can possibly imagine," it leered. "I could wipe you out with a single blow."

Yume parked a single finger on her lower lip and raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you, then?"

The air crackled with restrained fury. Yume felt electricity spark all along the ends of her hair and winced as it jumped onto her skin. Suddenly, the Deity paused in its trek down the dune, and stood looking warily at her.

"I know what you're trying to do," it said cautiously. "You're trying to make me lose control. You've done it before, and I assure you, it will _not_ happen again."

"Hmm." Yume tapped her foot and folded her arms across her chest. "Well, that makes things a little harder, then."

A dark smirk crossed the Deity's face. "That's right. It's impossible. Your sister is _gone, _Yume. She's mine now, just as she has been every time I've been unleashed. And this time…I'm not going to give her back."

It was only the thought that it was a lie, all an outright lie, that kept Yume from shivering in despair at the words. She lifted her chin, forcing a smile onto her face. It was time to try a different approach. Setsuna might have been able to slow time, but their friends were still fighting on the other side of reality.

"That was a really cool trick you played back in Rukongai, Setsuna," she told her sister. "I didn't know you could suspend time like that."

The Deity narrowed its eyes at her. "Stop that."

"I would say it had to do somethin' with your ability to collect and control spirit particles, yeah? Even if it was just around the pentagram that Ishida-kun made, it was still pretty awesome."

"I said _stop it_!" A wild push of its wings and the Deity was flying straight for Yume. Yume dodged nimbly to the side, Zazie spinning off to the Deity's left. She exchanged a knowing glance with her triplet, and Zazie nodded solemnly.

_Please hear me, _Yume thought at Setsuna's body. _Please. You _have_ to hear me. I know you're in there._  
The Deity lifted its sword. "I've had enough of you."

Zazie bristled suddenly. "No! Nee-san, you can't!"

The Deity snapped Setsuna's head to stare at Zazie, shocked into inaction by her sudden outburst. "And why," it said coldly, "would I listen to —"

"Remember our friends!" Zazie's hands were balled into fists, her violet eyes wild with tears. "Remember everyone we used to know? What happened to caring about people? What happened to acting human, Nee-san? This monster…it's going to kill people! It's going to kill _you_!"

A tremor went through the Deity then and it lurched forward, swinging wildly with its sword.

"And us!" Yume suddenly shrieked. The Deity halted and whirled on her, white teeth bared in a wordless snarl. Yume swallowed to wet her throat as it closed on her in fear. _No. I can't be afraid right now. I have to be strong. Have to bring her back._

"It…it's going to kill us, too! We're trying to beat her, Setsuna, but we need your help. Without you, the Deity is nothing. Without your body, she can't control anything anymore!"

Setsuna's body shuddered this time, blinking blearily at Yume. She felt her sister's spiritual signature swell weakly before falling back into silence. The Deity let out an inarticulate roar of rage and lashed out with its zanpakutou too quickly for Yume to move.

Pain exploded along Yume's arm and she staggered back with a cry. Her hand flew to her skin, coming away sticky with bright, crimson blood. Nausea rose like a tidal wave in her stomach. Bile pushed up at the back of her throat.

_No! No, not blood, I hate blood, I hate…I hate…_

The sick clench in her stomach abated as an idea entered Yume's mind. She reached up, not caring if she was putting herself in harm's way, and shoved her bloody palm in the Deity's face.

"See!" Her voice broke and she swallowed dryly. "See what it did?"

Setsuna's gaze locked onto the life liquid, something akin to disgusted horror rising in her eyes. Yume felt her sister's signature press up against the numbing rot that was the Deity's own reiatsu, but when the body spoke, it was still the voice of her enemy.

"Give up…"

Yume found her throat suddenly captured in a freezing, iron grip. She gasped in surprise and tried desperately to pry her sister's fingers away from her neck. Her vision was filled with the sight of the Deity's face, twisted by hate and bloodlust. She choked.

"I'm going to snap…your little neck," the Deity breathed heavily. Yume found her head being bent backwards, her nerves on fire, her muscles screaming at the strain.

Something cold pressed in against the edges of her mind. Yume fought to scream as icy tendrils worked their way into the ends of her consciousness, but she had been robbed of her voice. It felt like an unbreakable wave of darkness was roiling in on her from all sides, cornering her very soul, stabbing it, smothering it, _crushing_ it…

She felt…numb. A voice was chanting in her head: _give up, give up, give up — you are mine, _and she found herself going limp with resigned obedience, her essence shriveling up till she could hardly remember who she was. The Deity was laughing…

And someone screamed.

"_No!"_

A flash of white light, and the clawing hand was gone. Yume felt her body slip and collide heavily with the sand beneath her. It was as if the impact brought her back to herself. Everything that made her _Yume _came flooding in, slamming her from all sides, reminding her that she was Yume Yamazaki, a ghost, a triplet, a sinner, that she loved Byakuya as a brother and she had the best friends in the whole world —

Her chest filled as she sucked in a huge breath, her eyes flying wide open to stare up at the midnight sky. Zazie was at her side in an instant, touching her, talking to her, her words rushing over each other in a panic.

"Yume — Yume, I'm so sorry, I tried to stop her but I couldn't, it's too powerful, are you…did it — say something, Nee-chan!"

An unearthly shriek drowned out Yume's failed reply. The two sisters turned their heads. Where the Deity had been standing a moment before were two entities instead of one. On one side, Setsuna stood tall and unwavering, her sleek zanpakutou clenched in one steady hand. She still looked much like she had when the Deity had possessed her, but there were differences: the wings had vanished, her forehead bare without the Arrancar's headdress, and her green eyes glinted with not malice or hatred or undisguised evil, but something that was just purely _Setsuna_, something cool and sharp and alert.

Looming behind her was the form of a majestic bird — _phoenix_, Yume's battered mind acknowledged — so brilliant she could not stare right at it. She caught glimpses of ivory plumage, a long trail of feathers forming an almost-tail, an elegant head drawing back and up to face its adversaries.

"She's back," Zazie was whispering. Her voice quivered with emotion and awe, where Yume could only blink dazedly at the sight in front of her.

"With the ivory phoenix…"

The shriek sounded again, bursting with so much rage and loathing it made Yume want to cover her ears. The other entity was…she could find no other word for it, besides _monster_. She had never seen the Deity without its host. Lacking a solid form, it appeared only as a decaying light, shifting images of horrors that she could not comprehend. Amidst it all, one form always seemed to come back: a dying phoenix, crowned with a bone-white headdress, its skeleton not quite matching up with its decaying flesh. Yume shuddered.

Setsuna's hand tightened around the hilt of her zanpakutou. Her eyes were narrowed with determination and worry as she turned her head towards her sisters.

"Yume," she said, "are you all right?"

Yume tried to think of a clever or cheerful comeback, but her mind was still reeling from the Deity's attack, and all that came out was a breathy wheeze. Color rose in her cheeks. She grinned in embarrassment.

Setsuna lifted an imperious eyebrow before shrugging her shoulders. "Well. Good enough."

The Deity, or whatever it was without a form, managed to get out another ragged scream. It sloshed forward, feathers falling around the deathly phoenix's lurching countenance, losing any semblance of a solid appearance the more time it spent away from its host. Setsuna grit her teeth in resolve. Behind her, the ivory phoenix reared back and released a piercing cry.

"Zazie," Setsuna said warningly, "get Yume to her feet. This is going to have to be quick. When I tell you to, I want you to come forward and grab me. This isn't going to be very easy."

"Nee-san?" Zazie slid her hands under Yume's shoulders and helped her sit up. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to control the Deity."

Yume felt Zazie's grip waver for a second, and then she was being lifted to her feet, where she swayed dangerously. She forced herself to stand still, smirking in triumph when she succeeded.

"Nee-san, you can't…" Zazie was saying.

"Get ready," Setsuna interrupted her. Then, in a tone that said she wasn't speaking to them so much as herself, "I've been controlled by that thing for two years. It's time that it felt what it's like to be a puppet."  
The Deity fell back on itself at the words. Yume wasn't sure how much of the conversation it could understand, but it seemed not to like the ready stance that Setsuna had taken. It gave another wretched scream.

Setsuna lunged forward, the ivory phoenix surging up behind her. The Deity had no chance to back away. Its previous host charged right into its midst, reaching out with a grasping hand, her eyes glinting with determination. The Deity was sucked in towards Setsuna in an instant, shrieking in fear and pain as the girl forced it into submission.

Yume sensed Setsuna's spiritual signature flicker for a second, combating wildly against the Deity's own fetid reiatsu. Then it roared back up again, nearly eclipsing the Deity's presence.

"Y…Yume." Setsuna's teeth were gritted together, sweat beading on her forehead from the strain of controlling the Arrancar's spirit. "Zazie. Now!"

Both sisters darted forward. Yume almost stumbled as the sand shifted beneath her unsteady feet, but she pressed on without a moment's hesitation. In seconds she was at her sister's side with Zazie, standing close to the ivory phoenix itself. Its power rushed through her, straightening her spine and clearing her mind. She felt powerful…she could accomplish anything in the world…

"Grab my arms," Setsuna barked out.

Yume obeyed without question, and suddenly, she wasn't _her_ anymore.

It was as if the bells were still working, locking her into a single existence with her sisters. She could feel that she still had her own, individual body, but her mind was meshing together with her triplets', becoming one and the same. The Deity rippled beneath them, quailing under their combined will.

Yume could feel Setsuna taking control, reaching out through all of them to grip the Deity in an iron vise. A dozen souls suddenly swelled within her. She could sense each and every spirit the Deity had possessed, each shinigami separated under her direction. The power of each soul raged against her own, making her feel as if she was going to be torn up from the inside out. She had no idea how the Deity did it.

_Steady, _Setsuna's voice said. _We're going to take in more of them._

_More! _Yume squeaked. _Can the Deity do that?_

_No, but we are going to help it along._

Yume was abruptly stretched out over a great distance as Setsuna searched for the people she wanted. Flashes of places sprinted before her. She saw a chasm-like room with white walls, a place that could only belong in Las Noches, but she barely had time to register the fact before Setsuna found the soul she was looking for and snatched it up in her grasp.

It was easier to take than she expected, but there was no mistaking the power and malicious cruelty in that signature — she gasped, disbelieving.

_Aizen? That was…that soul we just captured…that was Aizen?_

There was a smile in Setsuna's disembodied voice. _He had a reason to be afraid of us all these years. But I don't think he expected us to actually be able to bend the Deity to our will. Had he been prepared, it wouldn't have been so easy._

They were gone from Las Noches before Yume could further express her doubt. She was standing in the sky, a thousand raindrops pounding on her shoulders. Dangerous spirits raged all around her — the Espada and their troops.

_Karakura? _She thought, peering down at the houses far below her dangling feet.

Again they reached out, and again they ensnared the souls within their power. Yume felt surprise, confusion, pain from them before they retreated into submissive silence, roiling noiselessly against her control.

_Have to hurry. _Setsuna sounded breathless, the exhaustion that she not doubt felt already beginning to seep into Yume's mind. _Only one more place to visit…_

Rukongai. They reigned in as many Hollow as they dared, till Yume felt as if her proverbial skin could be torn by the brush of a finger.

_That's it, _Setsuna gasped out. _That's all the Deity can take. No more._

_Back to Hueco Mundo, _Zazie said.

Yume was aware that they were back among the never-ending dunes, but she nearly panicked when she realized she still wasn't in her own body.

_Hold on, _said Setsuna. Her voice was getting weaker by the second. _Don't let go yet. Back to Rukongai — hurry!_

And in a whirl of pain, power and wind, they were gone, leaving the desolate world as empty as it had been when they had arrived.

* * *

Uryu stared blankly at the spot where Yume, Zazie, and the Deity had disappeared, his mind struggling to kick back into gear.

_What…just happened? _He wondered. _Where did they go?_

"Hmm."

He started at the curious hum and readied his bow, aiming it at Gin as he got back to his feet. The silver-haired traitor was still smiling, but it seemed like it was taking an effort to keep the façade in place.

"Now where, oh where," said Gin, "could they have gone?"

Uryu's grip over his spirit bow tightened as the traitor turned to face them. Gin's head swung from Byakuya to Rukia, then on to Orihime, and finally came to land on Uryu himself. The Quincy steadied his arm. Gin's lips stretched wide to show his teeth.

"Sneaky little Quincy," he cooed, "do you know where they went?"

Uryu did not even bother with a reply. Gin affected an offended look and heaved a sad sigh.

"Ah well," he said. "I might as well finish the job for her, then."

Everything seemed to happen at once. Gin was taking a step forward, Orihime's hands moving frantically to set up a shield between them, Byakuya's sword was out and moving to strike, and Uryu had already released one of his arrows when —

Yume, Zazie, and their possessed sister snapped back into existence.

"Oh!" Gin said in excitement. "You're back. That was fas—"

"Now!"

Uryu watched in astonishment as Yume and Zazie hurled themselves away from the Deity. _Something_ shrieked, and suddenly a third sister was staggering off as well, a massive ivory bird soaring forth on her heels. Byakuya made an odd noise by his side.

Where the three girls had been standing was a flailing…_thing_. It looked like a phoenix, but nothing like one at the same time. Its sides bulged grotesquely, as if it were being punched by something inside to if it. The thing reared up, its sloppy form falling apart, its decaying head looking frantically around for something.

Its gaze landed on Yume, and it pitched towards her with a deathly scream. Setsuna and the bird, the brighter phoenix, were between them in an instant. The monster fell over itself in an attempt to get away, immediately looking for the other girl in the pentagram: Zazie.

Luck was not on its side. Zazie had already been running for Yume the instant it set eyes on her sister, and she was behind Setsuna before it could even clamp its gaze onto her. A long, low wail tore itself from the thing's decomposing beak.

Uryu could tell that it was getting desperate for a host. Its head whipped around, bits of glowing, amorphous flesh falling off of it when it moved too fast, and its gaze finally settled on...

Gin took a step back as the phoenix finally found what it was looking for. He raised his hands up in a "stop" gesture, the smile faltering on his fox-like face.

"Now, now," he said nervously, "you don't want to —"

Yes, it did.

What Uryu was strongly beginning to suspect was the Deity itself rolled forward faster than he thought was possible. It surrounded Gin like a glowing, noxious cloud, molding itself to his form before it even had complete control. Gin shrieked like a mad thing, arms flailing, sword cutting ineffectually through the Deity's midst.

"Yamazaki-chan!" Orihime called. Yume spun around at the sound of her name. "Get out of there!"

Zazie reacted faster than her sister did. She was up and out of the pentagram in an instant, Setsuna directly behind her.

Yume hesitated. Uryu couldn't tell whether she was frozen in place by fear or indecision, but she didn't move from her spot. Byakuya stepped forward.

"What are you doing?" Setsuna shrieked at Byakuya's side. "_Go_!"

Gin, or the Deity, Uryu couldn't be sure which was which any more, had one sprawling hand clamped over his face, as if trying to rip the invader away with brute force. His mouth opened wide and let out a mangled sound that was both roar and scream, a noise that grated on the ear and made Uryu wince.

It was enough to startle Yume out of whatever trance she'd been trapped in. She whirled around and ran for the pentagram's edge. "Now, Ishida-kun!"

With a jolt, Uryu remembered what Yume had asked him to do. He moved forward without hesitation, the silver tube out and ready in his hand. Yume was already almost past the pentagram's edge when he bent forward and tilted the tube.

Without warning, a tentacle of the Deity's power reached out and coiled itself tight around Yume's ankle. It pulled her leg out from under her, making her hit the ground with enough force to crush the breath from her lungs. Yume yelped and clawed desperately at the ground as the tentacle pulled, dragging her back inside the pentagram. The Deity let out another monstrous scream and lumbered toward her.

Too late, Uryu tried to right the tube in his hand. A single drop fell before he could stop it.

"_Byakuya!_" Yume cried.

Uryu felt the sting of a shun-po being executed right next to him. Yume was still being dragged back on her stomach, her arms reaching back towards her friends. Dimly, he heard Setsuna and Zazie yell their sister's name —

Byakuya appeared within the pentagram and grabbed Yume's outstretched arm. The Deity roared in rage and yanked hard on the girl's ankle. Yume cried out again.

A second later, the pentagram erupted.

* * *

A/N: Please review.

SYNKATID:

- I started Chapter Sixteen: Poker Face _five_ times before I finally found the opening scene I was looking for.

_Next time: we return to seal the fate of not only Aizen and his Espada, but the entirety of Rukongai and Karakura and everyone in them. It all comes together in the final chapter of The Ivory Deity: Hello Again, Halcyon Days._


	24. Twenty Four: Hello Again, Halcyon Days

_Done_.

Disclaimer belongs to Yume this time around.

Yume: It's about time! I've been waiting twenty-three chapters for this, and it took for_ever_ for this last one to come out.

Me: Yes, well...life intervenes. Constantly.

Yume: I like excuses too. They keep people distracted so you can run away.

Me: Ahem...

Yume: Kimsa doesn't own Bleach or its characters. She owned Skinner for a while, but it's over now, thankfully. Me, Setsuna, and Zazie are all figments of her imagination, as are the plot and Gin's and Kurotsuchi-kun's treachery. This IS the last chapter - you realize that?

Me: -sniff- Yeah...and I still can't believe it. It's finally finished!

Yume: Well, don't keep the people waiting! Let 'em read!

Me: Oh, yeah. Enjoy, everyone - and thanks so much for being so faithful through all this story's ups and downs. I hope you've enjoyed reading this 'fic as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Yume: Ciao!

* * *

Twenty-Four

Hello Again, Halcyon Days

Death. It was constantly on his mind, a companion that would never leave him, no matter how many times he was betrayed or rejected. Those who sought to hurt him, he killed without a second thought. Those who betrayed him or turned traitor he was sure to bring to their knees, whether it took a day or a year or a century. Death fit him like a second skin, following in his footsteps like an unshakeable stalker. It would never leave him. That, he could count on.

But it would never touch him. It would never dare.

He was Aizen. He was God.

And nothing, no one, not even the uncontrollable experiments of overly-ambitious subordinates or old men with entirely too much power for their own good, could stop him.

A wave of fire rose up and washed over him. The air boiled and hissed with heat, cement and cold white stone blistering and popping, walls buckling under the tremendous pressure. Aizen remained untouched. On the other side of the room, Yamamoto's wizened face was set in a grim mask of steadfast determination. The Commander-General lifted his zanpakutou once more and struck the ground. Thick ripples ran out from the impact point and lapped at Aizen's feet before forming a circle around him. Fire exploded into existence, a raging inferno that engulfed the man at its center as if he were no more than an insect.

Aizen leaned back and enjoyed the show. The old man honestly, truly believed he would kill him. Maybe Yamamoto thought he would die trying — it was arrogant to even consider otherwise — but he still fully believed that he would be the one to kill Aizen, God and Lord of Las Noches, a man who had managed to fool the entirety of the Seireitei for centuries on end.

Ha. To think that someone like Yamamoto could destroy the barrier that kept him from Death's snapping jaws — it brought a malicious smile to his face.

"Come now, sou-taichou," Aizen said quietly. His voice pervaded the roar of the fire around him, clearer and sharper than any nightmare. "You don't really think that will stop me, do you?"

Yamamoto, as Aizen expected, did not even bother to reply. To the captain's left, the wall began to give out and brought part of the ceiling down with it. Neither Aizen nor Yamamoto showed that they noticed, even when debris landed mere inches from their immobile forms.

Aizen sensed the approaching attack seconds before it hit and easily braced himself. There was an eruption of hot air and flames so strong that it broke momentarily through Aizen's guard. His narrow eyes widened by a fraction and he quickly removed himself from the center of the inferno, appearing at Yamamoto's side. The old man's sword slashed out to greet him. Aizen dodged and moved again, blocking another devastating blow and shattering an adjacent wall with the force of his deflection. The strand of dark hair that hung perpetually in his face had been singed. Aizen frowned and lifted a hand.

It was a simple matter of deflecting and striking. The two men moved through the palace's bone-white interior in a blaze of fire and spiritual pressure, leaving disaster smoking in their path. Yamamoto was holding back by the thinnest of restraints. Aizen knew the minute the old man released his full power, he would have to answer, and Las Noches would be nothing more than a charred pile of rubble. And he would be the victor. He could not possibly be anything else. Victory was as necessary as life. So focused was he that he barely noticed the change in the abomination's reiatsu before it was too late.

He felt the rotting spiritual signature fluctuate in a rage. His instincts warned that something had gone terribly wrong, not at all according to plan, as everything should have been — the old man was striking again and this time he was not holding even the smallest vestige of power back — he had to block now or he would be defeated — the Deity's reiatsu suddenly swarmed around him, suffocating, choking him, silent and cold and completely unexpected.

Aizen shuddered and, for the first time in what seemed like eternity, faltered. Yamamoto's strike cut into his chest. The scent of blood and boiled flesh sprayed into the air. Swooping over him like a flood, the Deity's control caught up his soul and self and smothered them. One lost instant of control was all it took, and Aizen was brought down. His last thought was of impossibility. He was a god — he was _untouchable_ —

The wall that kept Death at bay broke down.

* * *

"Do you feel that?"

Ryuuken pressed his lips into a thin, irritated line and blinked the water out of his eyes. He took aim and fired in one smooth motion. The arrow bit the Arrancar in the chest and a second followed to join its mate. The Hollow fell with a keening wail. Ryuuken knocked another arrow.

"Of course I feel it," he said curtly to the man at his side. His cool gaze flicked to the side, reflecting bright red light. "Cero headed your way."

"Oh." Isshin dodged just in time to avoid the green-eyed Espada's attack. "But you feel it. What is it?"

"I don't know," Ryuuken hissed, "but it's coming this way."

It was true. He could feel it approaching in a rush of power that was cold, putrid, innocent and grieving all at the same time. It was a mockery of all that was balanced, a battle for control that seemed to go four ways and one way at once. Ryuuken could only hope that it was an ally. It was by sheer luck and chance that he and Isshin had lasted this long. He was already bleeding from numerous injuries and Isshin was even worse off, though of course he didn't show it. Several shinigami that had been in the area had joined them in their efforts to protect Karakura, soon followed by a group of rogues who called themselves the Vizard. Ryuuken was unsure of these new allies, but, though he hated to admit it – these men were strangers, after all, and strangers were not to be trusted – since their appearance, the tide of battle had started to lean toward their side.

The shinigami had reassured them that reinforcements would soon be on the way. But this new reiatsu didn't feel like reinforcement. It didn't even feel like it should have been let out of whatever cage they'd kept it in. Whatever it was, the Arrancar seemed to sense it as well; all of a sudden, the attacks lessened in force and frequency. The enemy began to draw back, looking around nervously. Ryuuken felt the alien presence swell up in power and strength without warning.

"Brace yourselves!" Isshin shouted to their allies.

It was as if the world held its breath. Shinigami, Quincy, and Vizard all drew back in a thick group. Even the enemy paused long enough to look around in confusion, feeling the incoming presence for themselves.

One moment, the only sound was the impact of rain and screaming humans running down in the city with all the chaos of fleeing cockroaches. The next, the air was filled with a creeping pressure that snuck across space like a slick snake. A tendril of reiatsu brushed against Ryuuken and he bristled, automatically going for his bow, but…the reiatsu kept on going. It slid past him as if he did not exist. Glancing around, he noticed that most of his allies wore the same expression of relieved bewilderment.

A shriek from the enemy's side said the Hollow were not so lucky. Ryuuken watched in stunned incomprehension as Hollow after Hollow twisted and writhed before going utterly still, as if someone had simply turned on the "off" switch in their wretched bodies. Some went quickly and others didn't. The Espada were the last to go. They fought against the reiatsu as best they could, but the presence had arrived too soon and unannounced for them to fully combat its effects. Soon, they too were standing still with empty, glazed eyes.

Ryuuken and Isshin shared a glance.

"What on earth…?" Isshin said aloud.

"I've no idea," Ryuuken admitted slowly.

The spiritual pressure around them changed. All of a sudden, it was swelling up, pressing on them from everywhere and anywhere. Ryuuken's hair crackled with energy, his Quincy bow picking up on the spiritual electricity and humming loud enough to make his ears twinge. Then, as sudden as it had come, the pressure was gone. Ryuuken could only watch in amazement as his enemies appeared to disintegrate from the inside out, collapsing in on themselves like rotted buildings.

Finally, all that was left of Aizen's greatest warriors was a collection of dried husks. The corpses fell from the sky to the city below, joining the rain in their descent. Ryuuken watched in silence, not understanding, but accepting and silently sending thanks to whatever being had intervened. Their salvation could not have come without a price.

* * *

Yume knew when she was no longer in Rukongai.

The ground she tumbled onto was not dusty and unforgiving, but grassy and prickly, and it only hurt her head a little bit when she banged it on the ground. Something heavy landed on top of her, nearly squishing all the air out of her aching lungs, but rolled right off in a smooth motion that could only belong to one person. With the pressure off her chest, Yume was content to lie on her back in the grass forever. Her lower left leg was shrieking with pain, she felt so heavy she feared she might sink into the grass, and her throat was still sore from being clawed at by the Deity, but she was alive. Her starving lungs filled with air, good, clean air that brought life with it. Life. She was _alive_.

"Yamazaki?"

She was mildly surprised to find a hint of concern in the low, elegant voice. The corner of her mouth twitched up and she opened one eye. Byakuya's face appeared high above her, fitted against a bright background of sun, sky, and brilliantly green trees. Trees had never been so green, the sun had never been so bright, the air had never been clearer without the Deity's tainted soul, and the sky…there were no words, even for Yume, on how the sky looked.

Well…there was one.

"Pretty," she said happily, and closed her eye again.

There was a quiet sigh from Byakuya's vicinity. And she probably imagined it, but she detected an undercurrent of fondness in that released breath. "Yamazaki. I presume you are well?"

"Mm-hmm," Yume hummed dreamily. Pain drifted up from her leg and she frowned. "Umm…I think my leg got hit, though. 'S alright. Still works."

"Up, Yamazaki."

Yume opened her eyes with a reluctant whine and lifted herself on her elbows. Her wide-eyed gaze went from Byakuya towering above her to the scorched fabric of his right sleeve. The pain was gone in an instant, pushed back to the recesses of her mind. Yume got to her knees and lifted her hands to Byakuya's arm. He did not pull back like she expected him to. A little thrill of happiness went through her like one of Uryu's arrows.

"You got hit," she said simply, barely brushing the charred skin with the tips of her fingers. Byakuya raised an eyebrow.

"As did you," he said. Yume blinked and peered over her shoulder at her lower left leg. Sure enough, the white cloth surrounding it had been completely burnt away. The skin was not as badly damaged as Byakuya's, but it was still enough to make bile rise in her throat. Yume swallowed, hard.

"Oh," she said in a tiny whisper. "Ow."

Byakuya was kneeling by her side in an instant, his hands easing her back into a sitting position. Yume didn't ask what he was doing; her head was still swirling with dizzy shock, and besides, she trusted the stoic captain.

"Extend your leg," he said, not unkindly, and she obeyed. Byakuya's hands hovered over the seared, blistered skin before coming down to rest lightly. Yume dug her fingers into the grass and shivered at the sudden urge to itch the pain away, but she didn't make a sound.

Byakuya did not betray her trust. He uttered the words to a kidō spell, lifted his hands, and just like that, her leg was healed. Yume gaped at the sudden lack of burning, itching pain, and wiggled her toes experimentally. Silently adding a thousand words of gratitude to her gaze, she looked up and beamed at Byakuya.

"It's all better," she said, feeling very silly with such a wide grin on her face. Byakuya's expression betrayed no exasperation or irritation at her open happiness. He merely turned, uttered the same words as before, and turned back with a newly healed arm. Yume looked back down at her leg and got to her feet, staring at Byakuya with unconcealed wonder.

"How did you do that?" she asked. "Get me away from the Deity, I mean. It had me in its tentacles! Its _tentacles_!"

Byakuya looked at her quizzically. "I pulled you free and used shun-po to take us here."  
Yume leaned back on her heels, tilting her head. "Really? That's just it? Oh. _Oh_. It's gone! The Deity — Bya-kun, it's finally gone!"

She couldn't help it. Her spirit was bursting with happiness, and she felt so completely, utterly free that she was sure she could just float up, up into the sky and never come down…

"Gone!" She shouted ecstatically to the smiling sky, and threw her arms in the air. "Gone! No more Deity, no more nightmares, no more running and hiding and being scared of dying every second of every day…it's all just… gone!"

Yume paused and lowered her arms, looking around her. "And…where are we?" She turned in a little circle. They were in a clearing toward the edge of a sunny forest. Beyond the trees, the ground sloped into a long hill before taking up more trees and continuing the forest.

"I needed to speak to you without interruption," said Byakuya. Yume's head jerked up in surprise.

"Why? What's the matter?"

Byakuya was looking down at her from a long way up, but there was nothing condescending about his gaze. "I need to speak with you," he said, "about where you will run."

Yume stared at him blankly. "Huh?"

"It is unsafe here," the captain elaborated. "The release of the Deity sealed your fate with the Courts. If you remain here, you will be prosecuted and most likely sentenced to execution. Therefore, you must leave. Immediately."

"Wait, wait!" Yume held up her hands at the panic that came over her. "Slow down. They're gonna…kill me? For something I couldn't even control?"

"By bringing yourself and your sisters to the Seireitei, you endangered the lives of everyone in Soul Society," Byakuya stated bluntly.

"But I wasn't even going to stay that long! I just…I didn't want to be alone anymore. If I stayed in the Real World, Skinner would have found me and taken me back to Gin. So I came here. I thought I'd be safe here. And now they want to execute me!"

Byakuya maintained his emotionless mask for the duration of her defense. "There is the possibility of using Kurotsuchi in your defense."

"What, Kurotsuchi-kun and his experiments? No! He's long gone, gone far away, probably until this whole thing blows over, or at least for another day or two. But we can't say _anything_ about him or his labs. What will happen to Nemu-chan?"

A thin line appeared between Byakuya's eyebrows. "Yamazaki, in all honesty, your compassion is illogical and blocks the due process of law."

"But you don't have anything against him!"

"I have your word."

Yume drove her fingers into her palms and gave Byakuya the look as closest to a meaningful glare. "I haven't said anything."

The little line got deeper. "I do not understand you," Byakuya said hesitantly. "Kurotsuchi hurt you, performed illegal experiments, and failed to carry out his duty as your guardian. He deserves punishment."

Yume made her eyes very round. "Punishment? For what? I haven't said anything. And when I was attached to the Deity, I adjusted its power just so it would wipe Kurotsuchi-kun's labs free of any evidence when it blew."

Byakuya only stared at her for a long moment. "Illogical child."

"Stuffy aristocrat."

Yume grinned at Byakuya's frown and folded her arms. "And I'm not running, just so you know. Not without my sisters, and they're still back there. I won't leave them behind."

"You will be arrested, executed —"

"And if I'm not?" Yume sucked in a long, deep breath and steadied herself. "I'm tired of running, Bya-kun. I've been running all my after life. Hee hee, get it? After…okay, sorry, that was bad. But honestly. I'm tired of being the victim, of always being chased by people convinced I'm something to be used or a criminal. I'm staying. I'll take what I deserve."

Byakuya thought for a moment, studying her determined expression. "With that look on your face, I suppose is no hope of convincing you otherwise," he said.

Yume shook her head. "Nope. Sorry, Bya-kun. You can testify for me if ya want, though. It'd be nice to have some support when everyone turns on me."

"Not everyone," Byakuya contradicted her. "I assume your ryoka friends will want to support you and your siblings."

"Oh!" Yume laced her fingers together with a giddy smile. "That's right! Ishida-kun and Orihime-chan and them, yeah? I have all the support I need. And at least if they do convict me and my sisters, you guys can help persuade them _not_ to execute me, right? Eheh…"

Byakuya inclined his head. "We will do our best."

Yume beamed up at him. "Thanks, Bya-kun. I know you will."

She reached out one hand and took Byakuya's hand, grinning when he did not try to move away.

"Okay," she said, and her voice only trembled a little at the ends. Yume cleared her throat and, lifting a smile that was much more like her onto her lips, threw a finger in the air. "Beam us up, Scottie!"

And in a flash of sound and light, they were gone.

* * *

_Two months later…_

Uryu stared at the door, and the door stared back.

He blinked and leaned away. The stress was driving him crazy, he was sure — what kind of phrase was "the door stared back," anyway?  
Orihime's smooth fingers slid up the back of his neck and pressed into the fringe of his hair comfortingly. He looked back and gave her a grateful smile, and her lips curved up in reply.

"It's okay, Ishida-kun," she said. "Take all the time you need."

Uryu nodded and steeled himself one more time.

"I'm not afraid," he said quietly. "We just haven't spoken since…"

"I know." Orihime sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "Kurosaki-kun's father told me he fought for you, though, so he must still care. He'll listen, Ishida-kun."  
Uryu remained silent for a moment and simply listened to the house breathe. He could hear clocks ticking away in rooms linked to the hallway he stood in, Orihime's soft breath against his neck, and his own heart beating steadily in his chest. His father's house was as silent and cacophonous as the last time he had visited.

"Inoue-san," he said. Orihime shifted her chin on his shoulder and looked up at him with large grey eyes.

"Hmm?"

He leaned forward and kissed her. She smiled against his lips and kissed him back. The first time they had kissed, it had been awkward and shy, shared the moment they had stepped back into Karakura and realized with equal rushes of relief that they were home again, and safe. It had been nearly two months since then, and there was nothing shy or nervous in the way they touched each other now; there was only a pure, innocent compassion that would grow as time went on.

Orihime drew back and watched as Uryu took one more breath and knocked on the door to his father's study. They waited mere moments, their heartbeats starting to pick up in speed. Then, from inside the room, Uryu's father spoke.

"Come in."

Orihime took Uryu's fingers and gave them a supportive squeeze. "I'll wait out here," she said softly.

He let her fingers fall with reluctance before opening the door and stepping through.

Ryuuken was standing at his desk, staring straight at Uryu when he walked in and closed the door. Uryu paused for a moment, unsure of what he should do, and came forward slowly to the other side of his father's desk. For countless seconds, the only sound in the study was the ticking of a clock on Ryuuken's desk.

"You're back," said Ryuuken. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever come."

"You're my father. Like it or not, I can't just ignore you."

Ryuuken lifted an eyebrow and appeared like he wanted to say something about Uryu ignoring him for several years, but held his tongue. "If you're looking for an apology, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Though I will admit…"

The older man cleared his throat and shifted his gaze to his fingers, which moved restlessly on the desktop. Uryu could not help but stare. It wasn't like his father to fidget.

"I suppose I may have been…harsh in my reaction to your allegiance to the shinigami. And illogical; I cannot simply erase the last Quincy from my lineage. You are my son. It would do well not to push you away."

Once he had gotten over the shock of hearing his father come as close to making an apology as he would, Uryu furrowed his forehead and frowned. "Then why do you try to keep me from my friends?"

"One of them is a shinigami, another a shinigami representative, which is just as bad. Have you forgotten what they did to our people? Have you forgotten your ancestors' suffering?"

"They're different," Uryu insisted. "You don't know them."  
Ryuuken leaned back and studied his son. "No, I don't. But I see what trouble they get you into with Soul Society. They have ties to the shinigami, people who have tried to have you killed —"

"They saved our lives when Aizen struck. Don't you remember? You fought with them against the Espada. Don't tell me they're dangerous when they helped save your life, too."

Ryuuken stiffened. "Uryu, everything I do, I do to protect you."

There was nothing Uryu could say to that, nothing to counter with, even if he wanted to. He watched his father sigh, marveling that he had never noticed how weary his father could look.

"I promised your mother and grandfather I would," Ryuuken said, still refusing to look at his son. "I swore that I would keep you safe from any threat that came at you, be it school bully or demon or shinigami. I only do what I do to keep you safe from harm. And you are making it very difficult to look after you when you run off into life-threatening missions every chance you get."

Ryuuken finally met his son's gaze and continued speaking before Uryu could. "I know you are older. I can see that you are more than capable of taking care of yourself. And I've seen that you will ignore my warnings, if only to rebel. If what you wish is for me to leave you be, then I will respect that wish. Call me stranger, and I will gladly become one. Just do not expect me to stop checking in when you, as you eventually will, land yourself in trouble you cannot handle."

Uryu smirked at the veiled slight and shook his head. "I never said I wanted you to be a stranger to me. I'm _your_ son. And I'll hold you to your promise."

Ryuuken nodded in acceptance. Uryu could feel his father's gaze on his back as he turned and walked quietly toward the door, could feel his father watching over him even after he had left the room and closed the door behind him. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been keeping prisoner and gave Orihime, who came to him from down the hall, a light smile. She saw his expression and wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh, good," she said, "I'm so happy for you, Ishida-kun."

He returned her embrace and contented himself with breathing in her scent. She leaned back and lifted her chin in a question.

"Where do we go now?"

Uryu smiled and took her hands in his. "How about we take a walk over to Urahara-san's? I'm sure Yamazaki-san would enjoy the company."

Orihime let him lead her out of the house, and it was only then that she tilted her face into the sunlight and breathed in.

"Everything's all right now, isn't it, Ishida-kun?"

Uryu's only reply was to squeeze her hand. Orihime laughed and tugged him down the street, toward Urahara's shop. As they went, basking in the bright morning sunlight, she started to hum a happy tune under her breath.

"Hello again…hello again, halcyon days, I know you're here to stay…"

* * *

Byakuya was beginning to get a headache.

He had arrived at his office early to complete some of Renji's paperwork (how that boy managed to slack off so much and not get fired, he didn't know) and had been caught by several shinigami with even more paperwork for him to sign before he could leave again. Now he had been in sitting in the same spot for more than four hours, his limbs had lost their feeling a long time ago, and this idiot messenger would not stop blathering at him. To top it all off, Renji was chuckling at his captain's predicament in the corner…with not a page of his overdue paperwork in sight.

"I'm sorry, sir, but these papers must be signed now," the young shinigami said with an apologetic grimace. "Commander-General's orders, sir."

Byakuya gripped his pen irritably and stared accusingly at the stack of papers in the messenger's hands. The shinigami had been trying to convince him of the importance of the matter for nearly five minutes. Seeing that he wouldn't be able to shake off this one, the captain allowed himself an inward sigh and took the papers. The idiot messenger beamed.

"I pity you, you know that?" Renji said fifteen minutes later, once Byakuya had finished signing and the messenger had (finally) departed. Byakuya sent his lieutenant a warning glance.

"Watch your tongue. You grate upon my nerves."

Renji blinked. "I…_grate upon your nerves_?"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. Renji cowered.

"Sorry. Anyway, you're done here, right?"

"Correct."

"Oh." Renji watched his captain rise and move quickly for the door. "_Oh_. You're going _there_. Alright, I won't keep you."

Byakuya paused at his lieutenant's tone and, deciding he wasn't in a very good mood, pointed to the towering stack of paperwork yet to be signed.

"Those are for the rebuilding of the property damaged in the War. I trust you will have them signed and out of my office by the time I return?"

The look Renji gave him was positively loathsome. Byakuya, as calculating as ever, was already far away from the division by that time and was spared the indignity.

It irritated him, the knowledge that he was late and would most likely be chided on it by a fifteen-year-old girl. For this reason, Byakuya moved as quickly as he could in creating a door the Real World and stepping across the dimensions.

He emerged in Urahara's basement. The captain took a moment to observe the craggy rocks around him and the faux sky above his head. The only thing that offset the quiet atmosphere was the girl moving with dangerous grace as she went through her training movements.

Almost as soon as he was clear of the portal, the girl noticed his presence. She moved fluidly from the middle of one of her positions and swung her zanpakutou into an attack position. The moment her eyes set on his face, though, she lowered her sword to her side, eyes glinting warily.

"Kuchiki," she said coldly. Her jaw worked as if uncertain what words to spit out. "You are late."

Byakuya barely acknowledged the awkward silence between them. The first time he had met this girl, she had tried to kill him. The last time he'd seen her, he had played a significant part in earning her back her freedom. Now, he could care less about Setsuna. He had come here for one reason, and one reason only.

"Where is your sister?"

Setsuna drew back, her spine going rigid as she lifted her eyebrows stiffly at him. "Yume?"

Byakuya inclined his head in agreement. Setsuna sheathed her zanpakutou with a _snick-click_ and folded her arms across her chest. "She is not here. She left for her walk about half an hour ago. She waited, but as I said before, you were late."

He smoothly ignored the jibe aimed at him and lifted his chin the slightest bit. "Do you know where she is?"

Setsuna lowered her eyebrows at him, her frown becoming a vague scowl. "No. I do not often accompany her on her morning walks, and when I do, she changes her path each time."

"I see." Byakuya moved to stride past her without another word. He could feel her prickly glare on his back. The air fairly bristled with her indignation.

"Kuchiki."

The captain paused, tempted to keep walking to teach the unfriendly girl a lesson, but he turned to see her scowling at him with a fresh vigor. Her bright green eyes wandered uneasily from his face to the ground, and then back up to meet his unwavering gaze.

"I know it has been two months since the trial, but...I have yet to thank you for assisting us in escaping execution. When we — Zazie, Yume and I — were in the court…you did not have to aide us. But you did. That was…that was an unusually righteous thing for you to do."

Byakuya hesitated at what sounded suspiciously like half a thank-you from the isolated girl. She was still scowling at him as if challenging him to laugh at her, not that he would ever sink so low. Still…

He dipped his head forward in acknowledgment of Setsuna's unexpected gratitude. Then, without another word, he shun-po'ed up to the rooms above the basement, leaving the eldest triplet alone with her thoughts and attack routines.

Byakuya appeared in the kitchen of Urahara's house. His sudden emergence startled the room's seven occupants half out of their wits; the youngest of the girls squeaked and stared at him with impossibly huge eyes, while the third Yamazaki triplet leapt off her feet with a high shriek and dropped the bowl she had been carrying in her hands. It fell with a clatter and emptied half its contents onto the floor. Zazie seemed unaware that she had let it fall and stared up at him with surprised violet eyes.

"Kuchiki-san," Zazie whispered. "You…I, umm…"

"Oy, don't scare us like that!" Ichigo was propped up against the kitchen counter, a hand over his heart as Rukia gave him a withering glower. Byakuya ignored the boy and scanned the room, spotting Orihime and Chad seated at the table with Uryu and Rukia.

"Rukia," he greeted cordially.

She smiled at her older brother. "Hello, Nii-san."

"Eh? What's going on over here?"

Byakuya turned a fraction at the sound of Urahara's voice and found the shopkeeper standing slouched in the doorway. The man tilted his head up in curiosity at his unexpected visitor and smirked.

"Kuchiki-taichou? What a pleasant surprise. Tell me…what can you possibly be here for?"

The youngest girl huffed a soft sigh and bent to retrieve the fallen bowl. "I'll clean this up. Good morning, Urahara-san."

Urahara gave the soft-spoken girl a bright smile. "Morning, Ururu." Tilting his head to address Byakuya, he said, "The girls were just making breakfast for us. Want some?"

Byakuya shook his head. "Do you know where Yamazaki is?"

Urahara pursed his lips in mock puzzlement and motioned to Zazie, who still had the position of a trapped deer. "I don't know what you mean. She's right behind you."

Byakuya fought back a wave of annoyance. "I meant Yume," he said, using the personal title reluctantly. Urahara's smirk reappeared and he shrugged.

"She went for a walk just before we came," Orihime offered. "Maybe if you hurry, you can catch her before she gets too far."  
Giving the seated girl a grateful nod, Byakuya turned to look at Zazie. She clenched her hands in front of her and stared up at him with a somewhat fearful look in her violet eyes. What she said next belied her frightened posture.

"Yume was afraid you wouldn't come," she stated. "She thought she might not see you again for a while. She was worried."

Byakuya blinked and carefully schooled his features.

"I have been otherwise occupied," he said vaguely. Feeling that he should say something else, he questioned, "I trust you are all well?"

"Oh, yeah," Urahara interrupted before Zazie could reply. "We all get along fine. Being banished isn't so bad, is it, Zazie-kun? It's like a three-way trade; they can all stay here, as long as they put in some work. Setsuna's training to guard Karakura from invaders to stave off her debt for wrecking Soul Society, and Zazie, well, she's a great cook and a real help around the house. Yume has a part-time job since she's finally turned fifteen." He let loose a short chuckle. "It's like my house is a required stop for the drifters. I don't know how I get stuck with them."  
"Are we a burden, Urahara-san?" Zazie asked quietly. Urahara laughed and moved to ruffle Zazie's raven-black hair.

"No, Zazie-kun, never. Besides, even if you three didn't do something with yourselves, at least I can always say that I housed the former Deity herself!"

Byakuya felt flicker of distaste at the same time Zazie flinched. Ichigo growled and Uryu and Rukia shared twin frowns. Urahara only smiled. "I'm kidding. Relax, Zazie-kun, you're safe here."

For the first time Byakuya could remember since meeting the skittish child, Zazie relaxed and offered a bright smile. She looked so much like Yume that it unnerved him.

"If Yamazaki is not here," he said, drawing his cool façade back around him, "I will be leaving."

"Of course." Urahara dipped his head forward and fully smiled. "Don't be a stranger, Kuchiki-taichou. Feel free to drop by and visit your favorite triplet any time."

Byakuya frowned disapprovingly at the comment. Ichigo's goodbye caught him before he could vanish from the kitchen.

"Yeah. See you later, Byakuya!"

Rukia jumped and swatted the orange-haired boy on the arm. "Ichigo! Treat my brother with some respect."

"I am respectin' him!"

Uryu sighed. "Kurosaki, you are so childish…"

"Hey!"

The kitchen erupted into heated chatter. Byakuya very prudently decided to leave.

He caught a snippet of a _normal_ conversation from Urahara before he left, just a simple inquiry that hinted at much happier, carefree times.

"Now, Zazie-kun— about those pancakes…"

Finding Yume's reiatsu signature offered Byakuya no trouble. He pinpointed her location and reappeared at the side of a wide river. The sun could not have been up for more than four hours, he could tell; it glistened along the water with a fresh light that would ripen as the day went on. The morning air still retained the briskness of departing night, and drops of dew clung to his sandaled feet as he stepped forward in the grass. Byakuya surveyed his surroundings. The area he was standing in seemed more secluded than the rest of the river, set at an incline that could be reached by a set of stairs leading from the street. Jogging down those stairs, her long ebony hair pulled back in a taut ponytail, was Yume.

Her breath clouded the air in silver puffs, her blue gaze focused intently on her feet as she passed down each step. She did not notice him until she reached the end of the stairs and looked up. When she did see him, she balked, blinking as if she could not believe her eyes. The moment of hesitation passed quicker than thought. In an instant, a wide smile had overtaken her heart-shaped face and she was bouncing on her heels with joy.

"Bya-kun!"

Yume darted forward as if intending to tackle him in a hug. Byakuya remained as still as he possibly could and kept in a sigh of relief when she pulled up short, embarrassment staining her cheeks. She reached up a hand and fiddled with her hair.

"Ahaha," she gasped, refusing to meet his eye. "Sorry about that. I got a little…"

She lifted her head and met his eye. "Aw," she said decisively, "what the heck," and jumped on him.

Byakuya endured the crushing pressure around his middle and remained expressionless the entire time Yume clung to him and squealed with happiness. She released him and took a step back.

"You're late," she pouted.

Byakuya dipped his head, knowing she would take it as an apology. "My condolences. I was held back by office duties."

"Oh yeah." Yume folded her arms and tapped her foot. "How's the old world of the dead fairing, anyway?"

"As well as can be expected. Repairs are going well and the divisions are banding together in an effort to help those in need."

"And how's Nemu-chan doing?"

Byakuya tread carefully, knowing that it was a touchy subject for Yume; though she had taken measures to make sure Mayuri was not blamed, the man had ultimately landed in prison for his crimes. Nemu had become head of her division for the duration of her father's incarceration.

"Better," he said. "She has been able to lead her division adequately for some time now. She receives support from the rest of her division members and seems to be taking to her responsibility."

Yume beamed with relief. "Good. Looks like some independence is just the thing for her, huh?"

Byakuya nodded without comment.

"And what about you?" Yume stood on her tiptoes to look him as closely in the eyes as she could, though she still didn't clear his chin. "How've you been doing, Bya-kun? I've only seen you, what, five times since the trial? Which, I'm gonna say again, you did awesomely in."

"As well as can be expected," Byakuya said again neutrally. He hesitated, sensing that Yume wanted more than that, and resumed speaking. "Yamamoto-soutaichou is planning to send more shinigami to aid the Rukongai citizens in rebuilding their homes. He is considering sending my division along with them, so I may not be able to visit for some time after this."

Yume was alarmingly quiet. Byakuya could see where her thoughts were taking her and said, with only the smallest sign of hesitance, "That does not, however, mean I will stop visiting. I will take the time where I can."

The small girl looked up at him with a fragile smile. "You promise you won't just leave me?"

"…I promise," Byakuya said solemnly. Yume's face lit up with a grin that could have put the sun itself to shame.

"Thanks. Come on, Bya-kun, let's go for a walk!"

She danced away on light bird feet without waiting for him, her face raised into the early morning sky, and began to sing.

"Well, if you want to sing out, sing out. And if you want to be free, be free. 'Cause there's a million things to be, you know that there are…you know that there are…"

Yume had no signing talent whatsoever, but that did not stop her from singing at the top of her lungs. Byakuya watched the dancing girl for a moment, content in silently listening to her happy words. Then, finally, he followed her twirling silhouette, walking in that fresh light that would ripen as the day went on.

* * *

_The End_

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much, everyone who has read and reviewed this story. You kept me going when I was at my most discouraged.

SYNKATID:

- The Ivory Deity had a sequel, for a short while. It centered more around the relationship of Yume and Byakuya, and was rather angsty/whatever. I'd added another OC, as well, within the first draft of the sequel. This is the summary...

Fading Ashes: by Kimsa Ki-Lurria

"Sequel to The Ivory Deity. Gin is reincarnated…as a child. With Yume on the run, Uryu and Orihime return to SS to find Byakuya in shambles, and Kurotsuchi missing. Suspicions abound, villains turned allies, and…Setsuna and Zazie are back? ByaOC, Ishihime."

For the very last time,

-Kimsa


End file.
